Fallen Sakura
by Lidiya
Summary: His innocence was stolen 9 years ago. He left 5 years ago. Her innocence was stolen 2 years ago. She became the strongest kunoichi 1 year ago. Now he's back in Konoha with a new team. Too bad their emotions can't be measured as easily as time. SasuSaku
1. Changes

_Disclaimer: Me no own Naruto and 'tis is applied to all the other chapters. _(Nice English, I know. Do you still wish to continue? ;P)

A/N: The main theme song I'm using is "_Scarlet_" from the anime "_Ayashi no Ceres_". There's a link to it on my profile.

* * *

A young maiden laid in a deep pit of sorrow and despair. Beautiful pink hair spread around her heart-shape face in ghostly elegance. Dead emerald eyes stared back into nothingness. The shining background of blazing white light outlined her soft curves; a common courtesy for an angel.

A fallen angel.

* * *

**Scarlet **

_**haruka na hoshizora ni yume wa mada miemasu ka?  
osanai ano hi yori azayaka desu ka? **_

_**mune ni afurete tsunoru omoi  
nemuri wasurete jounetsu no iro**_

_**tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta  
ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru **_

_**GARASU no bara yori mo hakanakute moroi no ni  
yume miru koto wa naze sadame na no deshou **_

_**futatsu no yume ga ai ni natte  
ai ni narenai koto mo atte**_

_**hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii  
kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni naru**_

_**hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii  
kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni...**_

_**tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta  
ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru**_

_Can you still see your dreams in the distant, starry sky?  
Are they more vivid than they were when you were little?_

_When one forgets to put the emotions that overflow in her heart  
to rest, they burn the color of passion. _

_I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were.  
But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart. _

_Dreams are more fragile and fleeting than a glass rose,  
so then why are we destined to dream? _

_Sometimes two dreams can turn into love,  
but there are also times when they can't. _

_Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard.  
Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife. _

_Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard.  
Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife._

_I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were.  
But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart._

* * *

_**Chapter 1: Changes**_

* * *

Although it was difficult to tell in the darkness of the night, long pink hair was dancing freely to the rhythm of the wind. The moon seemed abnormally large from the treetop of an ancient pine. Its luminous shines reflected off the armour of its admirer. What kind of person admired the moon in the mist of battle?

_Dark shadows scurried through the tree, surrounding the ancient pine where the maiden sat. _

A person who was winning the battle of course.

_Three kunais flung themselves at the goddess who was sitting peacefully on the treetop. Not only were the kunais easily dodged, but was deflected back toward their original owner. One of the shadows crumbled to the ground. Violent shouts escaped from his comrades._

Two slim legs dangled from the branches of the pine tree in absolute gracefulness. Long hair continues to bide to the cold wind's silent will as a few strands found their way to the front; covering their owner's face. Slender fingers pushed the strands back, revealing a blood-stained ANBU mask with only sinister slit for eyes; a mask too hideous to belong to the face of any animal.

_The remaining shadows charged. _

For many people, their story will start off under the blinding morning sun. But for Haruno Sakura?

_The maiden stood up; the tips of her blade shone with an eerie glow under the glowing moonlight. _

Her story started in the dead of night with only the moon as her witness.

* * *

Sunlight shone into a relatively large room. The door leading to the bathroom was partly open, revealing a clean white tub and a sink that was blocking the lavatory out of view. Beside the bathroom was a walk-in closet that split into two parts; one for clothing and another for weapons and scrolls.

At the opposite of the room was a queen size bed, with no bedposts. On right-hand side of the bed was a bed stand, and on top of it was a digital alarm clock that read 7:35. Beside the clock was an empty glass cup and some white round pills encaged in their aluminums package. Next to the bed stand was a comfortable leather armchair with two unrolled scrolls still scattered on top of it.

On the left hand side of the bed was a simple but richly coloured wooden desk with a table lamp perched on the top left hand corner. A tall bookshelf made out of the same material was placed perpendicular with the desk, back against the wall.

A little towards the left-hand side of the bookshelf was the white translucent curtains that fluttered gently in front of the open French doors which led to the balcony. Directly across from it, on the other side of the room, was the entrance door to the room. On the left hand side of the door, was a decent size T.V, angled to face the bed and the armchair.

A huge, red mat with a hollow white circle was centered in the middle of the room. At each corner of the room was a tall floor lamp with cylinder heads that faced upwards, (one beside the armchair, one trapped behind the desk and the bookshelf, one by the bathroom door and balcony doors, one by closet door and the entrance door. )

The wind that blew into the room gave it an extremely fresh scent. It was definitely one of the most well-kept rooms in all of Konoha. The only thing wrong with the room was that there was no decorations… _at all_. However, this did not seem to bother its female inhabitant, who was now stirring up from her bed.

Strands of long pink hair fell across her face as Sakura reached for her alarm clock and gave it a swift glance. "I overslept…"

Getting out of bed with her petal-coloured hair still covering her eyes, Sakura stepped out onto the balcony.

The balcony was connected to the room next to Sakura's bedroom, which was used as a medical study office. Neatly lined up on the balcony was pots after pots of various plants. Though some of them were quite beautiful, none of them were used for decorations. They were all part of Sakura's medical studies.

Leaning gently onto the railing, Sakura continued to let the morning breeze play gently with her hair. Her lavender short shorts framed her buttock nicely as her long pink hair covered most of the white tank top on her back. Suddenly a passer-by on the busy street spotted her. He quickly adverted his gaze and fastened his pace by the double. Others did like wise. A small sadistic smirk appeared on the girl's pink lips. Those foolish villagers weren't expecting to see her because she always left her apartment before dawn.

Her smirk left her when Sakura heard a loud ruckus _inside_ her apartment. A low groan escaped her throat and right on cue the bedroom door flung opened. A seventeen-years-old boy stood at the doorway with his hand still on the door knob which seemed to be the only thing supporting him. Breathing heavily with his blond bangs covering his eyes, the boy panted, "H-he's back…"

A bead of sweat slid down his cheek as he raised his head. Crystal blue eyes shone brightly as Uzumaki Naruto smiled up at his pink haired friend. "He's back, that bastard Sasuke is finally back!"

The girl by the balcony slowly turned around, her silky hair was blowing gently behind her. The translucent curtains flew in front of the pink haired beauty, blocking everything from the waist up. When the wind died down and the curtains backed away, a cold pair of dull green eyes was staring emotionlessly back.

_'What of it?' _Sakura wanted to ask, but not wanting to ruin Naruto's good mood, she just smiled and walked over to her blue-eyed friend.

After giving him a nice hard whack on the head, Sakura threw him out of her room head first.

"Next time…remember to _knock_," grinned Sakura with closed eyes before slamming the door shut, and leaving a semi-confused Naruto blinking after her, wondering what he did _this_ time.

* * *

Tsunade sighed as she carelessly threw the file she was reading back onto the desk. It was the same old boring crap over and over again. Lifting the terracotta cup to her lips, the female Hokage barely had a sip of the warm liquid before a loud clash of the door made her choke on her tea.

"What's the matter Shizune?" The Godaime asked, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Missing-nin Uchiha Sasuke is at the gate right now, demanding to see the Hokage!" Shizune exclaimed, panting heavily.

"What?!" Tsunade raged, getting up from her chair so fast that she knocked over the tea cup.

"What should we do?!" Shizune panicked. "He even brought three other followers with him!"

Taking a deep breath, Tsunade thought for a second before ordering Shizune to send him to her.

"I have a bad feeling about this," whispered Tsunade before facing out the window and closing her eyes to meet darkness.

_"Sensei…" _

_"Sakura…" spoke the Hokage's voice in the dark turmoil._

_"I c-can't…. I d-don't know w-what to… please… sensei… h-help me…" _

_"It'll be alright… we're all here for-"_

_Hysterical laughter of mockery shot through the darkness. "All here?? All? Please…no more lies… I c-can't take it… n-no… no… NO!!"_

Tsunade's eyes shot open to the sound of the knocks on the door. Rubbing her temples with her thumb and her fingers, the Hokage sat back onto her seat. Damn… she was getting old.

"Come in."

The door opened and in came one of the last remaining Uchiha and his little minions.

"You have some nerve coming back in broad daylight Uchiha," Tsunade said, a hint of venom dripped from her calm voice. Sasuke stayed silent. His "friends", on the other hand, did not.

"Is this the famous sannin who knew that fucker Orochimaru?" Sneered a boy with white hair and shark-like teeth . "I was expecting to see a shrivelled up old hag. Hey miss, are you really Hokage Tsunade?"

Tsunade felt a vain twitching violently at her temple.

"She is, she uses her ninja art to disguise herself as a younger woman." The girl in the group replied, adjusting her glasses upwards. "Gees Suigestu, you're so useless."

"Shut-up Karin!" Retorted the shark boy, "_You're _so annoying! Right Juugo?"

The spiky hair boy in the back just remained silent as he gazed at Sasuke as if waiting for instructions.

Narrowing her eyes, Tsunade glared at Sasuke, "Just what have you come back for?"

Sasuke paused for a second before answering, "I want to join the Leaf again."

* * *

Sakura and Naruto walked side-by-side down the streets of Konoha. Villagers backed away as soon as they saw them. It didn't seem to bother Naruto (or maybe because he was so used to it) who had on his usual foxy grin. Sakura's face was passive, but she was secretly enjoying the fear of the villagers. Though after a while, that twisted enjoyment becomes so bitter that it made her feel sick to her stomach.

Naruto had on a simple black T-shirt with an orange spiral in the middle and a pair of beige paints. He wore a pair of navy blue sandals which was typical ninja footwear.

Sakura on the other hand, had on something much more flashier. Two Chinese buttons secured her strapless, red top which exposed her collar bones and extended down to her mid thighs, forming an upside-down "V" shaped around the stomach, revealing her bellybutton. A white belt wrapped around her waist, making sure the bottom part does not interfere by flapping too much. The belt also helped keep the very _very_ short shorts in check. Though it was quite unnecessary since the black shorts was so tight that it was practically attached to the skin.

At the back of her red shirt was a white circle that represented the Haruno clan which was visible only once in a while when the wind blew the long pink hair aside. A semi-circle pouch that was attached to the belt and was wore on the back. Sakura also wore a shuriken/kunai holster on her right thigh and a pair of black, fingerless gloves. Instead of the typical ninja footwear (dark blue sandals) she wore a pair of black high heel boots that was laced from the bottom up.

The Konoha headband that once upon a time was secured tightly on her head was now dangling loosely around her neck.

The entire outfit, if worn by any other woman, she will be immediately labelled as a slut. But when Haruno Sakura wore them, the message was all too clear. _**"I'm luscious aren't I? Come at me if you dare, but don't complain when I chop your hands off." **_

"Come _on_, Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined, "I _know_ there are faster ways to get to the Hokage building than _walking_."

Seeing that Sakura obviously wasn't going to make that effort, Naruto pouted and continued to yak away. "I was eating ramen as usual when Sai came along and told me he saw Sasuke and some other people following Shizune-san to see the old hag. Then I **immediately** came to get you. I still can't believe that after all these years… blah blah blah… "

Sakura restrain the urge to roll her eyes at the sky. A long time ago (two years to be exact), she would have literally _jumped_ at the idea of seeing Sasuke again. But now… there was nothing. In all honesty, her pulse did not even quicken at all when she heard that the younger Uchiha prodigy had returned.

For Sakura, she felt no emotion. None at all. Just emptiness. If there _must_ be an emotion presented, then it'll be hatred, but Sakura managed quite well to bury that inside. In fact, she buried so much, that she couldn't even remember what Sasuke looked like anymore. All she could recall was a blurry image of a boy with mid-night blue hair and raven eyes that can change into the famous Sharigan. _Those_ were distant _memories_ to her and everything _else_ just seemed liked a distant _dream_.

_'Have I really changed that much?' _

The irony of the question was that the answer cannot get anymore clearer.

Suddenly, Sakura thought of something and stopped walking. Turning to Naruto, she asked, "What happen to Sai? Where did he go?"

Naruto stopped his rambling and concentrated very hard for one whole minute before replying, "I don't know."

The look Sakura gave him was chillingly cold, making him gulp and back away a couple of steps.

_'Sai? Are you okay? What are feeling right now? Are you alone? Are you scared?'_

Of course, her telepathic messages had no way of reaching him, but it still killed Sakura a little bit inside to ask those questions in her head.

"I hope he's okay," Sakura unconsciously said out loud.

"He's tough, you don't have to worry about him," said Naruto before grinning naughtily at Sakura, "I _knew_ you still care about Sasuke! You can't conceal from me! Wahahahaha!"

Sakura sweatdropped at Naruto's stupidity and had to hold her arm back to prevent herself from smashing him into the nearest fruit stand. It was much nicer to just let Naruto live on his illusions.

After a while, a small smile appeared on Sakura's lips. It was one of her few true smiles during the past two years.

_'I guess some things will never change.'_

* * *

Tsunade was stunned at the young Uchiha's request. She had a hundred reasons regarding why Sasuke came back, but _this_ was _not_ one of them.

"May I have your reply, Hokage-sama?" Sasuke asked, eyeing the gawking Godaime.

Regaining her composer, Tsunade snarled, "Why do you _want_ to come back?"

"Though I'll much prefer not having to answer such a trivial question, I guess it's unavoidable." Sasuke replied in the same monotone, "I've realize that I'll need the help of a village in order to track down and defeat the Akatsuki and Itachi."

Tsunade glared, "What makes you think I'll let you come back?"

"I'm the only one that can defeat Itachi," said Sasuke, hiding the smug tone very well in his voice, "If you do not accept my request, I can always go to another village that'll be more than happy to acquire my assistance."

"What makes you think I'll let you get out of here alive?" Tsunade snarled. She really hated the little punk's attitude.

All three followers of Sasuke reached for their weapons but stopped when their leader gave them a sharp glance.

The atmosphere in the room was so tense that the Hokage's pet pig backed away from its food dish in fright. Luckily, the atmosphere quickly depleted by the noise coming from outside the room.

"Hey!! You can't go in there!" A guard's voice yelled, but that didn't stop the door from banging open. In came Naruto with tears practically shining in his eyes. No one in the room (including Sasuke) was able to find the right thing to say.

"TEME!! HOW DARE YOU NOT TELL ME THAT YOU'RE COMING BACK!!"

The atmosphere was now changing into pure awkwardness. Luckily, again it was interrupted by a light, feminine voice.

"Naruto, where are your manners?"

A maiden stepped into the room. Her boots thumped gently as her headband shifted slightly against her collarbone to one side then back again. Graceful pink hair blew gently behind her (the window was probably open).

A political smile was pasted on her lips as she gave her sensei a bow. "Good morning Tsunade-sama, Shizune-san," Sakura's eyes wandered onto Sasuke, "and Uchiha-san, long time no see."

A/N: Well? What do you think?? I want your honest opinions!! XD

_:remember to please review!!: _X3

_Lidiya_


	2. The Seal and the Scrolls

A/N: Again, you can hear the theme song at youtube. The site to it is on my profile. SPOILER WARNING UP THE LATEST CHAPTER.

* * *

As Naruto blindly bolted into the room Sasuke took the luxury to "examine" his ex-team mate with an impassive look on his face.

Like Sasuke, Naruto also grew a bit taller from when they were fifteen years old. His hairstyle changed slightly, he now had longer bangs that framed the sides of his face. For a split second, Sasuke was amazed at how closely he resembled the late fourth Hokage.

Though still boyish, Naruto's face was sharper and more refined, and it processed a sense of maturity and wisdom that the former Naruto never had. This was also true for the raven eyed avenger.

However, there were characteristics on the blonde's face that Sasuke did not process: kindness, humour, gentleness, caring, love and on top of it all, _innocence_. In a way, these features made Naruto seemed like an overgrown kid. Sasuke frowned when he felt a small prang of jealousy in his chest.

When he looked closer, Sasuke gave a tiny smirk. He could tell that this "innocent boy" in front of him was truly powerful. Just by sensing his chakra, Sasuke could tell that he was stronger than he was letting on. An emotion overcame the young Uchiha; it was the closest thing to _happiness_ that he felt in a very long time.

It was excitement.

_'Finally, I'll be able to test my strength on a true opponent. Show me how much you've grown, __**Naruto**_

"Naruto, where are your manners?"Asked a heavenly voice that sounded all too familiar. Cold eyes widened and narrowed at such a speed that would have made Gai-sensei proud.

_'What is this?'_

* * *

**Scarlet**

_**haruka na hoshizora ni yume wa mada miemasu ka?  
osanai ano hi yori azayaka desu ka? **_

_**mune ni afurete tsunoru omoi  
nemuri wasurete jounetsu no iro**_

_**tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta  
ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru **_

_**GARASU no bara yori mo hakanakute moroi no ni  
yume miru koto wa naze sadame na no deshou **_

_**futatsu no yume ga ai ni natte  
ai ni narenai koto mo atte**_

_**hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii  
kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni naru**_

_**hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii  
kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni...**_

_**tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta  
ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru**_

_Can you still see your dreams in the distant, starry sky?  
Are they more vivid than they were when you were little?_

_When one forgets to put the emotions that overflow in her heart  
to rest, they burn the color of passion. _

_I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were.  
But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart. _

_Dreams are more fragile and fleeting than a glass rose,  
so then why are we destined to dream? _

_Sometimes two dreams can turn into love,  
but there are also times when they can't. _

_Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard.  
Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife. _

_Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard.  
Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife._

_I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were.  
But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart._

* * *

_Two months ago…_

"This is a bunch of crap!" Snarled a white hair boy with shark-like teeth. Stabbing his large sword into the earth, the teenage boy popped down onto the floor, sipping loudly from his water bottle.

"We've been fighting and fighting for so long, yet everywhere we go is a dead end," said a black haired girl with glasses looking down at the ground.

Behind her a spiky haired boy nodded silently in agreement.

"For once, I have to agree with Karin," said the shark-like boy earning him a "_What the hell do you mean by that Suigetsu?!_" from the background. Ignoring her, the boy called Suigetsu continued, "Sasuke, you're our _"leader" _aren't you? Can't you think of better ideas than these mindless goose chases?"

Uchiha Sasuke was leaning against the tree; its shade covered half his face. He gave no reply.

Not liking to be ignored, Suigetsu continued harshly, "I'm really beginning to doubt your leadership _leader_." He added the last word with as much sarcasm as he could muster. It's been two years since we got together, yet we accomplished **nothing**. You haven't gotten your revenge, I haven't gotten my fucking sword and Juugo still haven't gotten his cure!"

The expression of spiky haired boy called Juugo shifted slightly.

"Oh," started Suigetsu again, "Karin, why are you still here?"

"Purely coincidental!!"

Suigetsu shrugged, it was so totally obvious that the only reason she was still here was because of pretty boy Sasuke.

Speaking of Sasuke… it seemed that their great leader was leaving the site.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Suigetsu shouted after him.

"To Konoha," was the simple reply.

The white hair boy smirked as he pulled out his sword from the ground and walked after him with the others. Finally, they're getting somewhere.

The four figures disappeared into the woods, leaving a pile of fainted and wounded shinobis behind them.

* * *

_**Chapter 2: The Seal and the Scrolls…**_

* * *

Silence hung in the room. Tsunade looked a bit annoyed, while Shizune looked a bit relieved. Karin was wondering who the stupid looking boy was and Suigetsu was wondering who the hot chick was. Both Juugo and Sasuke remained expressionless while Sakura still had on her fake smile. Finally after what seemed like days, Naruto piped out, "So Obaa-chan, what does teme want?"

It was so good natured it hurts.

"He wants to join the Leaf again." Tsunade hissed out, her golden eyes flashing dangerously at Sasuke, who just ignored it.

For the first time ever, the younger Uchiha's attention was directed at Sakura and Sakura _alone_. He had sensed Naruto's presence a long time ago and brushed it off. However, not sensing Sakura's presence unnerved him greatly. If she was an enemy, he would have been at a great disadvantage.

And Uchiha Sasuke did not like disadvantages.

Sasuke continued to gaze at Sakura with the corner of his eyes. Something was definitely different about her. Physically, her body was more developed than he last saw her at Orochimaru's hideout. Not only were her muscles well-built (thanks to Tsunade) but her womanly curves was also very visible, but not disgusting showy (like Tsunade's).

Sasuke was not a total idiot; he could sense that this young woman in front of him was nothing like what she used to be. But because he was unable to sense her chakra, he could not decipher her actual strength. However, the Sharingan user knew for certain, that if she was able to hide her chakra signal from him, then she _must_ be powerful.

And like all Uchiha, Sasuke respected power beyond all else.

A small part of him was proud that his former team-mate had came so far, but a larger part of him was annoyed to see that even weak, little, _Sakura_ managed to obtain so much power over the course of only two years.

It made him feel as if he had not accomplished enough.

The navy haired young man had the same feeling years ago when he witnessed the fight between Gaara and Naruto. Though this wasn't exactly the same feeling of inferiority he felt back then, Sasuke still cursed the Hokage's pink hair apprentice for making him feel like this.

Sasuke then recalled how he was always looking down on this emerald-eyed kunoichi because of her foolish infatuation with him. God, that girl cared more about her hair than her Taijutsu.

It was pathetic.

Though the young Uchiha did not expect her to act like the same love-sick idiot from when she was twelve (since even _Sakura_ could be matured by time), he also did not expect her to be so emotionless to see him. There should at least be a couple of tear drops and a shy whisper of "_Sasuke-kun_." Not that he _wanted_ it, of course.

The coolness between them, strangely made him feel alienated and out of place. This was _a lot _coming from a guy who spent a good chunk of his life living with a human snake.

Uchiha Sasuke did not like to be confused. So he soon became irritated by what he failed to understand.

_'Is she __**acting**__ that she doesn't care? She must be delusional if she thinks that this will accomplish anything. I can care less of what she chose to make of herself.'_

Then why did he feel so _annoyed_? It must be that this was the most petty and childish thing he witnessed in quite a while. (He convinced himself that Sakura was "acting" and not truly expressing her **burning passion **for him.)

"GREAT!! NOW THAT WE HAVE SASUKE BACK, NO ONE WILL-"

Before he had the time to complete whatever bizarre sentence that was on his mind, Naruto was slammed gently by Sakura's standards) into the wall with her hand covering his mouth and nose.

"What is your decision, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked the older woman, who seemed to be going through quite the dilemma.

Taking Tsunade's thinking time as a chance, Sakura turned towards Sasuke and asked, "Uchiha-san, if you were to join our village again, what will become of your comrades?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at Sakura's "false" formality before replying, "They will follow me."

"Preposterous!" Tsunade exclaimed, slamming her fist onto the desk, "It's laughable that you can even suggest such a thing. What guarantees that they or even _you_ will stay loyal to us?!"

Sasuke's face was calm when he replied, "My goal is to defeat Itachi, and in order to do that I must rely on your resources. After I kill him, I want to restore my clan and their rightful place in Konoha. I do not want my clan to be no-name rogue ninjas. Though if you refuse me, I'll just rebuild my clan elsewhere which will be a huge lost to Konoha. "

Tsunade scowled, mainly because what the self-absorbed brat said made perfect sense. Taking a step back (metaphorically not literally since she's still sitting down) Tsunade said, "I accept that as a valid answer from you, but can you say the same for your comrade?"

"They are loyal to me," Sasuke stated simply.

Suigetsu snickered, earning himself a death glare from Sasuke.

"Suigetsu here is after an Akatsuki member. Like me, he will also require the assistance of this village, though what he'll do after he accomplishes that gaol, I can not say.

"Juugo desires a cure for his _condition_," Sasuke continued, giving Tsunade a brief glance. "He was willing to trade his freedom to _Orochimaru_ for it, so I'm positive that he'll trade his loyalty to _you_ for it." A smirk tucked on Sasuke's lips, one that did not miss Tsunade's watchful eyes.

"Karin here…" Sasuke trailed off, looking back at his team mate, "is entirely loyal to me," he finished.

A snob smirk was on Karin's face. It felt so _good_ to have Sasuke-sama consider her as "entirely loyal".

Tsunade remained silent for a while. She can not even guarantee temporary loyalty from all these people, then how will she-?

"I have a suggestion Tsunade-sama."

All heads turned to Sakura's direction, including Naruto's struggling one.

"Let's hear it," Tsunade said, desperately wishing that her prodigy student came up with something good.

Releasing her hand from a gasping Naruto, the pink haired girl said with a pleasant smile, "Two month ago, I have perfected the first stage of my binding seal."

"Go on," urged the Hokage, she can see that something _very_ good is coming up.

"Though it is only at its first stage, this seal will allow the user to be able to the person's chakra, such as reducing it, or completely shutting it off. The user will also be able to sense the person's chakra if the chakra level goes beyond normal, which will happen if that person loses control or is engaged in combat." Sakura explained.

_**"…if that person loses control…"**_

Both Tsunade and Naruto's eyes widened while Sasuke's eyes narrowed. It seemed that this seal was especially designed to help Naruto keep the Kyuubi in check.

_'Sakura-chan…'_ Naruto whispered in his head; a painful express was present on his whiskered face.

_'Foolish girl, you're trying too hard…' _thought Tsunade, though her inner voice was nothing close to scowling. _'You're trying to save someone else when you can't even safe…" _Tsunade let the painful thought trail off by itself.

"However, seeing that it's only at its first stage, there are some flaws and inconveniences. One of these flaws is that both parties must agree willingly to this, or else the person's chakra will deflect the user's during the process. Next, the effectiveness of this jutsu only last from three to five months. And lastly, the user and the person must be within considerate distance between each other, or else the user will lose the chakra signal and will be unable to detect its level. However, the most important part, even if the user could not detect any chakra signal, he or she can still reduce or shut off the person's chakra flow at anytime." Sakura finished.

Everyone in the room was quiet until Suigetsu let out a low whistle, "So basically, you're suggesting that we should be chained up to a leash? What makes you think I want my chakra completely sealed off? And you said this is only the "first stage"? I hate to see what the other stages will look like."

Sakura gave the shark boy a lukewarm smile before replying, "If you're as loyal to Konoha as you claim you are, then I shouldn't have to activate it and reduce your chakra, much less shutting off the flow completely. You should only be worrying if you have something to hide."

Suigetsu raised an eyebrow; at least this chick's attitude was a bit better than Karin's.

Right after he thought that Karin pushed in, "It seemed that you created this jutsu so how do we know it'll be successful without side effects?"

An eerie smirk appeared on Sakura's lips as she held up her left hand. "I'll bet on this hand that my jutsu is perfectly safe without side effects. Does this reassure you?"

Suigetsu's eyebrow rose even higher, now he _really_ liked this babe's attitude. Sasuke and Juugo remain passive while Karin had a queer look on her face. She was definitely _not_ cool with getting owned by a pink haired runt.

"Well Sasuke-_kun_?" This time, it was Tsunade who spoke. The victorious smile on her face was too big to miss. She definitely will have to reward Sakura for this later.

Sasuke paused for a short moment before replying, "I agree."

The gasp coming from Karin was too big to miss as well. Suigetsu let out another low whistle and Juugo continued to stare tensely, only this time, it was at Sakura.

Turing around, Sasuke eyed his team mates, "And you?" He said, addressing to everyone. It was less of a question and more of an order.

Juugo nodded, Karin nodded hesitantly, and Suigetsu smiled, revealing all his shark-like teeth. "This'll be _fun_."

The Godaime stood up and start giving out instructions, "Shizune, inform everyone that under special circumstances, Konoha have accepted three new ninjas and regain one of its missing-nins. Sakura, perform the jutsu on them right now. And Naruto…" Tsunade trailed off looking at the hyper young man who was practically jumping with excitement, waiting to be told what to do. "Go eat your ramen and stay out of the way."

Dark clouds surrounded the fox-liked boy as he sat in a corner, mumbling darkly to himself.

"Perhaps you've gone too far Shishou?" Sakura said smiling.

Ignoring her comment, Tsunade said "Is there anything you'll need for the sealing?"

"No," said Sakura, "and I can perform it here if you like."

"Very well. So," the Hokage said eyeing the group in front of her, "Who's up first?"

Sasuke was about to speak up, but someone else beat him to it. "Tsunade-obaa-chan! Let me go first!" Everyone glanced at the person who spoke up.

It was Naruto.

Before the Godaime could say a word, Sakura's sudden sharp voice sliced itself towards the blond boy. "_No! _I'm sorry, but until I complete the last stage of my seal, I will _not_ perform it on you Naruto."

"But-!"

"No means _no_!" Stressed Sakura. _'Why can't the idiot get it through his thick skull?!'_

Backing down, Naruto stared at the floor. He had wanted to get this seal and have it over with so Sakura-chan could take some rest. But now he just made it worse. Sakura will probably work twice as hard, trying to complete the final stage of the seal.

There was a moment of silence before Sasuke was about to say something, only to be interrupted yet again. Only this time, it was Suigetsu. "Since everyone's trying to back down, I guess it's up to me to _break the ice_." He smirked, silently laughing at his own little joke that awfully cold.

Nodding. Sakura reached a hand behind her and pulled out a tiny, plain scroll from the semi-circle pouch.

The expressions on Sasuke and his gang shifted, _'What is she planning to do with that puny little thing? _

On the other hand, Tsunade, Naruto and Shizune did not seem surprised at all. It was obvious that this was nothing new to them.

When Sakura unrolled the miniature scroll, seven neatly lined kanji was visible, each with its own complicated design placed around them. They read, "weapon", "medical", "seal", "food", "clothing", "equipment" and "other".

Using her index finger and middle finger, Sakura pressed onto the Kanji that read "seal". A small poof appeared and when it faded away another scroll appeared in Sakura's hands and the kanji "seal" disappeared from the first scroll.

Not surprisingly, this second scroll was titled "seal". At the exterior, a thin black stripe bordered each of its sides. It was double the size of the previous scroll and was also filled with kanji and complex designs. Sakura threw the entire body of the scroll in air and pulled with the other hand which was gripping onto the end; causing the scroll to unravel at a very fast speed. Once she spotted her target, Sakura swiftly stopped the unravelling of the scroll with a quick flick of her wrist.

Placing her entire hand on a circle with two kanji that reads "chakra binding", Sakura released a _third_ scroll. This last scroll was slightly smaller than the second one and bigger than the first one. It was blood-red and on it, it reads "chakra binding". Once again, the kanji "chakra binding" disappeared from the previous scroll.

Karin seemed to spot a hint of acknowledgement in Sasuke's eyes and quickly glared back at Sakura. "That was all _very_ flashy, but you'll have a hell of a time putting all of these scrolls back."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Sakura's lips. "I'll survive," was all she said.

Placing the two other scrolls out of the way on Tsunade's desk, Sakura then opened up the red scroll. There were three rings of artfully designed circle, but only one had a kanji written on it: "first".

Placing it on the floor of the Hokage's office, Sakura unleashed the seal with the palm of her right hand. Inky shapes that formed the seal crawled out of the scroll and onto the ground like snakes slithering in the grasslands. Once all the ink from that one seal left the scroll, the floor was covered in an elaborate, circular pattern.

Putting the red scroll away with the rest, Sakura motioned Suigetsu to step into the circle. Grinning in his shark-like ways, Suigetsu laid his huge, bad-ass sword against the wall, and sat down in the circle.

Naruto's eyes rested on the sword for a few seconds before shaking his head to clear his mind. It didn't help much. The large sword looked _way _toofamiliar…

When the white haired boy got in, Sakura started to unbutton her top shirt which almost made Suigetsu falter back a bit. Once her top shirt fell off, it laid obediently at Sakura's sides; her belt kept the bottom part of the shirt in place. Inside, Sakura wore a strapless heavily-netted shirt, but it still betrayed the strapless bra that she was wearing under.

Sasuke's eyebrows slightly knitted together. It appeared that her bra was covered with a hard layer of protective plates that wrapped themselves tightly around her chest. Further more, Sasuke suspect that very dense chakra was sealed inside, making the armour virtually unbreakable. The scary part was that there might be more surprises hidden and because of Sakura's outer outfit, one would not have guessed that she had protected herself so well…

Perhaps there was wisdom put behind her slutty dress code. After all, the armour plates looked slightly uncomfortable because it was tight on her chest.

"Whoa, and they can still look so big," Suigetsu smirked. No one (maybe except Naruto) needed to ask what he meant by that.

Karin gave a disgusted scowl.

"What Karin?" Suigetsu's smirk grew even wider, "_Jealous_?"

"_As if!!_"

Sakura smiled politely before joining Suigetsu in the circle. Since the boy was new, she'll let him slide… _'This time.'_

Kneeling down, Sakura faced Suigetsu, and cupped both of his hands with her own. Moments after, the room became darker and colder. The seal on the floor started to glow a bright and red light. Another second passed, and both Sakura's and Suigetsu's chakra started to form around them. Taking this as the cue, Sakura leaned over and placed her forehead onto Suigetsu's.

Taken back, a bead of sweat rolled off his forehead. He was not used to being so close with another person, much less a girl.

"Relax," Sakura whispered. Her eyes were closed and her voice was soft and serene as the clouds.

Nodding his head slightly in understanding, Suigetsu closed his eyes as well. As soon as he did so, both his chakra and Sakura's started to rise up at an extremely fast pace. Soon they were both engulfed in their chakra, and their chakra started merging together.

Suigetsu shifted a little, the room was getting way to hot for his taste. A few minutes passed and the light coming from the seal depleted. The room went back to its original state.

"Done," said Sakura, standing up.

"That's it?" Asked Suigetsu. Usually these types of things last much longer, but he was glad that it was over so soon. He was sweating like crazy and he didn't like it one bit.

"That's it," smiled Sakura in her cheerful voice, "who is next?"

"Come on, Karin. Or are you too much of a chicken?" Suigetsu mocked, sipping a large quantity of water from his bottle.

With steam practically coming from her ears, Karin stomped over to the circle and attempted to push Suigetsu but failed miserably when he jumped away with his superior speed.

"Let's get this straight," Karin glared at Sakura, "I'm only doing this for Sasuke-sama. If this had been any other situation, no way in hell am I going to let _you_ seal me up."

"Of course," smiled Sakura. Something flashed in her eyes, something no normal people would have caught. However, let's just say that there was a few "abnormal" people in the room.

A bit satisfied about letting her point get across, Karin sat down in the circle with Sakura.

The sealing ritual for Karin was twice as long as it was for Suigetsu. After it was finally completed, Karin bolted up, fanning feverishly with her hands.

Sakura on the other hand was perfectly fine.

"Did you purposely made it longer than it had to be to make me suffer!?" Karin snarled at the pink hair kunoichi who was in a _much_ better shape than she was. Not a single bead of sweat was visible on Sakura's heart-shaped face.

"I'm sorry Karin-san, but that was not my fault. For some reason, your chakra was rejecting me, so it was harder to complete the sealing." Sakura smiled again. A hint of amusement lingered in its wake.

Frustrated, Karin stomped back beside her precious Sasuke-sama.

Next, Juugo stepped up, and his sealing was the fastest of them all; with only half the time it took to do Suigetsu's.

_'He must really want that cure…' _Both Sakura and Tsunade thought. At the time, they were both oblivious to the fact of **what** exactly he wanted a cure for.

Finally, Sasuke sat down in the circle. Like many times before, the circle started to give off the bright, red light, and the room became immensely darker again.

Reaching forward, Sakura placed her hands around Sasuke's, a simple motion that would have meant so much to her if she had stayed the way she was.

Too bad she didn't.

Sakura was expecting icy cold hands, but his hands were surprisingly warm. Shaking off the thought, she waited for their chakra to gather. After just a short moment she leaned forwards a bit, and whispered beside Sasuke's ear. (Karin was getting _very mad _with their close proximity in the background).

"Your chakra is rejecting mine," Sakura's calm voice hid the tiny hint of annoyance.

"Is it?" Sasuke said in an equally calm voice.

"Yes, it is." Sakura's voice was a bit tight. For some reason, it upset her that his chakra was rejecting hers to such an extend. This should only happen if the person that was receiving the sealing was forced into it.

_'But Sasuke agreed on his own free will, so why is this happening?' _

"Can you please relax? You're the one who wanted this." Sakura said in a flat tone.

"I hate being "bonded" with anyone," said Sasuke plainly. It wasn't an excuse; it was a mere statement.

_'So that's why…' _Sakura came to a silent understanding, _'Though he consciously agrees to it, subconsciously his pride is actually defying it.' _

_'In other words…' _The pink hair girl smirked inside, _'his ego is too big.'_

_'Then there's only one way…'_

"Uchiha-san," started Sakura in a pleasant voice while Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her formality, "If we do not complete the sealing, you'll not be accepted as a Leaf-nin again. Such would truly be a disgrace to you clan, wouldn't it?"

Right after she said that, Sasuke's hand escaped her lose grasp and gripped tightly around her thin wrist. "Do not insult my clan," he hissed.

Though all the other people were wondering what the hell was happening, Sakura own expression did not change. She was expecting this to come.

"I'm sorry if you misunderstood me, Uchiha-san. I did not intend to offend you" _'Only to agitate you.'_

Backing down, Sasuke let out a low breath and closed his eyes. A small smile tugged on Sakura's pink lips as she cupped his hands again.

* * *

Unravelling the letter that was tied to a message bird's foot, Danzou scanned the paper before crumbling it in his hands.

"Does something upset you Danzou-sama?" Asked a figure half covered in the shadows.

"It appears that Tsunade is letting the traitor Uchiha Sasuke rejoin us, and his subordinates as well."

"At this rate, you will no longer be needed to replace his spot in team Kakashi," the old man said, eyeing his soldier with his one good eye.

Sai stepped out of the shadows and smiled his empty smile. "That is fine with me."

"I'm glad to hear it," replied Danzou before walking pass him towards the door, "Come, we must do some house cleaning."

"As you wish," said Sai, the smile never leaving his face. Staring at the retreating back of his master, an expression that resembled a scowl appeared on Sai's face as he added, _'You old fart.'_

* * *

Stepping back, Sakura put on her proper top and reached for her sealing scrolls.

"All done," she said, smiling at the group, "is there anything else you would like?"

"I would like to see how you're going to seal all those scrolls up." Karin said mockingly. God, she had to wait long to admire the humiliation of this insufferable woman.

"Sealing takes long, that's why it is irrational to use it too much, especially for trivial things such as food and clothing which we can just carry ourselves. Further more; to seal something that already has something else sealed into it will cost an enormous amount of time and energy. Do you think you can handle this three-layer sealing of yours?" The girl grinned behind her glasses. "Further more, your first scroll is so small in size, much smaller than the other ones. I suspect it is for convenience, but size matters greatly in sealing. To reduce the necessary of having to seal into a larger scroll, the sealing time must be greatly enlarged."

Without saying a word, Sakura placed a hand on top of the seal on the ground. The seal began to crawl back to the spread-out red scroll that she was holding with her other hand.

Karin rolled her eyes, _'Hmm, still acting cool? You can't avoid it forever. Sooner or later you'll have to seal that red scroll into the other scroll, and then seal that one into the tiny scroll. You're going to make a total fool of yourself when you fail to do so, hehehe.'_

Taking the red scroll, Sakura wrapped the black stripe scroll around it, and then the tiny white scroll around the black stripe scroll. The pink haired kunoichi then performed a couple of hand seals and _POOF_. All that was left was the minuscule scroll, which Sakura pocketed gently back into her pouch.

All this was done within the time span of seven seconds

The look on Karin's face was priceless.

"Too bad for you Karin-san," Naruto laughed from the other side of the room, along with Suigetsu. "Sakura-chan is the world's best healer and _sealer_. There's no way she'll let you get the laugh."

By now, Karin's face was so mad, and a reasonable amount of killing intent was leaking from her body.

"Karin…" said Sasuke warning.

"My apologies, Sasuke-sama." A small blush appeared on her face as she faced Sasuke in such a painfully forced expression. She tried too hard to act cute.

Suddenly, the door burst open and in stepped The "Great" Danzou and his "loyal servant" Sai.

"Well, well, well," a chilling smile appeared on the scared-faced man as he eyed Naruto then Sakura, "It appears that there's more housecleaning to do than I had previously predicted."

"Danzou…" Tsunade mentally tried to strangle the man. And just when she thought she had her problems solved… "What do you want?"

A cold smile appeared on the ugly man's face. "The counsel will not be happy with your decisions, Tsunade-hime."

_'Like I care what those old farts thinks.' _huffed Tsunade inside, but on the outside she gave a very diplomatic answer.

"The best for the village?" Danzou repeated what she said in the form of a question. "That is very doubtable, Tsunade-hime."

When Tsunade chose to remain silent, Danzou continued, "But we all know that your Excellency is _excellent_ at making decisions."

His eyes shifted onto Sakura.

Tsunade's eyes immediately narrowed as she felt her muscles tense up. Naruto did the same, and faster than the normal eyes can see, he appeared right between Sakura and Danzou, holding a dagger much like Asuma's in his hand.

His usual laid-back, blue eyes were narrowed into thin slits as aggressive words crawled out from the back of his throat. ** "Don't you dare…" **

What Sasuke suspected was right. Naruto's aura was truly powerful. What he doesn't understand was why the blond was getting so agitated by this man in front of him. Whatever the reason, it seemed to be concerning Sakura.

Danzou's eye's narrowed as well. "Put that down," he hissed, "Is this how the Great Tsunade-hime handles her soldier?" The mockery in his voice was too clear to miss. "Hime-sama, you're getting old."

Tsunade's fiery eyes lowered in shame. It was true; she can feel her body dieing of old age.

"It's time to choose a successor…" Danzou continued to weave his spider net with his sly words.

"TSUNADE-BAA-CHAN ALREADY CHOSE A SUCCESSOR!!" Naruto's voice ran through the building. In the background, Tsunade slightly twitched at the word "Baa-chan."

Danzou's icy glare rested on the blond boy. He sneered, "Do you honestly expect the village to accept you? Pathetic."

His words hit its mark. Naruto's head turned away, a torturing expression dominated his face.

"Also," Danzou continued, determined to break everything apart, "the Akatsuki seemed to be very interested in you aren't they?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but he remained silent.

Danzou let his smile to be seen wide and clear. Though he said nothing else, the message was well delivered.

A soft voice soon wiped his smile off his face. "Though he may be an idiot at the best of times, Naruto is a hero and he is our destined leader." Emerald eyes flashed dangerously. "Even if he is to die, _I_ will take over the spot as the Hokage. There's no need for scums such as you to step in."

Danzou's face twisted in an ugly scowl, "Do you really think that the villagers will accept either of you? In their eyes, you two are nothing but _**monsters**_."

Long pink hair swayed in the air and in the next moment, Haruno Sakura appeared in front of the man with a long katana placed against his neck, hard enough to draw blood.

"I may be a monster…" Though her whisper was low and soft, "…but don't you _**dare**_ categorize Naruto in that same file as me,"… its malice filled the room.

Flashing greened eyes burned with killing intent, "He is not half the monster that you are." Her aura was frightening strong, yet her chakra still cannot be sensed. This caused many thoughts amongst the Hebi.

Sakura could feel his pulse beating faster than normal. _'So he really is a coward.' _A sadistic smirk appeared her beautiful, heart-shaped face.

Out of nowhere, a gloved hand gripped gently around Sakura's wrist that was holding onto the sword which already drew a speck of blood from Danzou's neck.

""That's enough," smiled Sai.

Sakura eyed him mindlessly before dropping her gaze and pulled away. Silence once again hung in the room.

_'Insolent girl, I'll make sure that you pay for this wound.' _Looking back as Tsunade, Danzou spoke, "I did not come here to get into fights with your ill-bred student. I wanted to take my subordinate off Team Kakashi seeing that he will no longer need to replace its former member." Danzou glanced briefly at Sasuke.

Tsunade never had the chance to speak because Sakura did that for her, "Sai was never a replacement. He is a member of Team Kakashi and it's not your place to dismiss him from it."

Sai's eye widened slightly. He felt something on his heart; a little jot and then a huge weight was literally lifted off it. It felt nice…

What did they call it again? Oh yes, "relief" and "happiness". But why he was so happy by what Sakura said? Was it because she accepted him as her comrade, and did view him as a simple replacement? Whatever it was, Sai just knew that he was _**glad**_.

Danzou's beetle-like eyes glared mercilessly at the Hokage's rebellious pupil.

A satisfying smirk tugged at Sakura's lips. Suddenly a shock wave ran through her body, and Sakura's knees failed her. With widened green eye, the pink haired kunoichi found herself falling towards the cold marble ground.

A/N: Yah cliffy!! XD Well, that's it for today. I tried to portray the new characters as accurately as I can. But with limited chapters, it's quite tough (especially Juugo). T x T I'm currently waiting for more Naruto chapters to come out, so please, please, please be patient with my slow updating. Oh, and please feel free to point out any mistakes, thx! -bow-

Next chapter, it'll reveal a bit of Sakura's past and what happened to her to make her the way she is right now. There'll also be some tension building between characters.

_:remember to please review!!: _

_Lidiya_


	3. Flowers

A/N: THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS!! I'M SO HAPPY THAT I'M DOING SO WELLLL!! -heart- -heart- -heart-

Anyways, **(just so you know) **I used a lot of words to describe the setting. To me, this is very important, because I personally prefer to know the background of where the events are taking place. When I read about what the characters do, yet have no idea _where_ they're doing it, then in my head, it will seem as if they are interacting with a plain, white background… which feels very weird…

So yah… enjoy the story!!

* * *

The sky was blue and clear. The trees gently rustled as a bird took flight into the sky.

Long blond hair swayed in the gentle wind. Bending down with her long bangs covering her eyes, the young female arranged the flowers in their proper order.

Taking her time in the selection, the blond haired girl finally picked out the best flowers.

It was a red rose and a yellow daffodil.

* * *

**Scarlet**

_**haruka na hoshizora ni yume wa mada miemasu ka?  
osanai ano hi yori azayaka desu ka? **_

_**mune ni afurete tsunoru omoi  
nemuri wasurete jounetsu no iro**_

_**tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta  
ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru **_

_**GARASU no bara yori mo hakanakute moroi no ni  
yume miru koto wa naze sadame na no deshou **_

_**futatsu no yume ga ai ni natte  
ai ni narenai koto mo atte**_

_**hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii  
kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni naru**_

_**hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii  
kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni...**_

_**tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta  
ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru**_

_Can you still see your dreams in the distant, starry sky?  
Are they more vivid than they were when you were little?_

_When one forgets to put the emotions that overflow in her heart  
to rest, they burn the color of passion. _

_I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were.  
But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart. _

_Dreams are more fragile and fleeting than a glass rose,  
so then why are we destined to dream? _

_Sometimes two dreams can turn into love,  
but there are also times when they can't. _

_Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard.  
Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife. _

_Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard.  
Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife._

_I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were.  
But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart._

* * *

_**Chapter 3: Flowers**_

The electric shock made Sakura's body weak and helpless. Her limbs defied her command. The emerald eyed kunoichi was about to collapse onto the floor when a pair of arms wrapped themselves securely around her. One arm supported her around her waist while another arm was pressing her shoulder against his chest almost possessively.

Sai's chest.

"Are you okay, ugly?" His usual smiley face betrayed no emotions.

However, Sakura felt the tenseness in his muscles and knew that he was concerned for her. A small, sad smile almost made its way on the pink haired girl's face, but she quickly pulled it back.

This was no time to be sentimental.

"I'm fine," she whispered, before gently pushing him away. As Sakura forced herself to stand up straight again, pain shot through her body, causing her to flinch. No one except Sai, Naruto, and Sasuke caught this.

"YOU BASTARD!!" Naruto's yell and the swirling Rasengan in his right hand were both directed at Danzou. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HER!?"

"I did not do anything," replied Ne leader stonily.

"Liar!" Naruto screamed and was about to make a move when a soft spoken voice stopped him.

"It wasn't his fault," Sakura said blankly. _'Unfortunately. It would have been very fun to see him crumple under Naruto's Rasengan.'_

Ignoring the torture calls coming from her body, Sakura walked to the Hokage's desk. A bit slowly than usual, once again, only the three young men seemed to have caught this.

Naruto's concerned and weary eyes followed her every step. So did Sai's and Sasuke's, though you wouldn't really describe them as "concerned" or "weary". At least not on the outside.

"I'm sorry Tsunade-sama, but I must leave immediately. Please excuse me." Sakura bowed to her mentor before turning around and headed back. The ripping pain in her body was intensifying. But she hid it well. Glancing briefly at Naruto, she let the telepathic message sink through clearly. _'Don't follow me.'_

"Oh, Sakura," the Godaime called, desperate to find a reason to have Sakura stay a little long, just to make sure that she was fine. "The sealing ritual, is there anymore precaution that should be made?"

Sakura paused before answering, 'It is best if we can remain in close proximity to each other. That way I can get used to the chakra signals and be able to detect it better."

Sakura stopped when she came to parallel with Danzou, "If _you_ wish for what is best for this village then you'll stop interfering with Tusnade-sama."

The icy look sent by Danzou caused an satisfying smile to appear on Sakura's face. "_**It**_ has been providing quite the income for the village. The funding for your department also grown because of _**it**_. Won't it be unfortunate if this changes?"

Danzou's expression hardened, "Are you threatening me?"

"Of course not," Sakura smiled again before she silently walked past him, long pink hair waved behind her, as if bidding Danzou a sarcastic farewell.

The door clicked, leaving everyone inside, wondering what the hell just happened.

* * *

Ino walked down the busy market place. Her black tank top and skirt framed her curves nicely. Her long ponytail waved back and forth as she strolled down the road as her once-sided bangs covered her right eye as she searches through the crowd.

Taking sight of her target, Ino put on a bright smile before running towards him.

"Shika-kun!!" The hyper blond called out, waving madly at her boyfriend's direction.

Turning around, the jounin groaned. It was way too early in the morning to have to deal with her.

Not that he didn't love her, of course. But once a lazy ass, always a lazy ass.

"I knew I would find you here," Ino grinned, peering at the brown shopping bags in Shikamaru's arms. "It's so nice of you to do your shopping for your mom," Ino smiled playfully.

"Oh shut up," shrugged Shikamaru, "I'm only doing this so the banshee will get off my case."

"After we deliver the groceries, let's go find Choji, it's been so long since we had a get together," Ino continued to talk in her overly chirpy voice. "I know!! Why don't we have breakfast at my apartment? It'll be so-"

"Ino," Shikamaru cut her off before she could say anymore. "Stop acting, we all know why you're so keen to have a get-together."

"He's right, you know," a voice agreed from behind them. Choji stepped up to his friends, holding a stick of dango in one hand, and a shopping bag in another.

Ino's smile disappeared, as her eyebrows furrowed together. The expression on her face was so painful that Shikamaru had to wrap an arm around her just so _he_ will feel better.

"Come on," he said, "Let's get this load of crap to the banshee so we can go have breakfast at Ino's."

"As long as there's food I don't mind," grinned Choji with his eyes disappearing into two lines.

"Thank you," whispered Ino.

* * *

Tsunade peered at the mess in front of her. The Hebi group needed to be settled (one vein); Danzou needed to be get rid of (two veins) and… damn, Naruto was still here (four veins).

Clearing her throat, Tsunade glared at Danzou, "Is there anything else you'd like, now that you have finished criticizing my leadership skills?"

Danzou narrowed his eyes. With the Kyuubi brat here to protect Tsunade there was nothing much that he can accomplish. "Nothing at all, Tsunade-hime."

"Sai will continue serving in team Kakashi until further notice is provided," Tsunade said firmly, refusing to be the one to break the eye contact.

"Very well," Danzou replied before turning around and walked through the door, "Come, Sai."

Giving Tsunade a small bow, Sai retreated with Danzou.

Peering at the remaining nuisances, Tsunade sighed. This might be tough. The Hebi group have to stay somewhere. There aren't any spot ready for them, and the hotels and inns will be too frightened to accept them. There was always the possibility of making them sleep outside, but that would just make her look bad…

Taking a semi-deep breath, Tsunade faced the four members of Hebi and declared her decision, "As regarding to where you'll be staying temporarily," Tsunade's eyes narrowed, hoping that she was making the right decision. "I want you all to stay with Haruno Sakura."

* * *

Sakura was jumping from trees branch to trees branch, and with her unfathomable speed, the background was just a bunch of green and brown blurs.

The pain continued to torment the pink haired girl. Even though it was not as severe as before the strained look did not leave Sakura's face.

Added to that, Sakura suddenly felt a strange chill in her spine.

No doubt something bad was going to happen…

Biting into her lips, Sakura shook off the thought and continued to endure her discomfort. The sooner she get over there, the better.

* * *

A moment of silence settled itself in the room, then Sasuke spoke in his emotionless voice, "Why can't we stay at the Uchiha estate?"

Tsunade mentally sighed; she knew he would ask that. "You are not permitted to be there, and even if you were, that place is hardly suitable for human habitation."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why aren't I allowed to be there?" His voice was icy cold.

The Godaime's jaws tightened. "The estate was supposed to be your inheritance on your 18th birthday. However, since you chose to betray us, that piece of property has been confiscated, along with your other apartment. They are now properties of the village."

If Sasuke was to choose, he would still choose the large complex, since it represented the glory of his once existing clan. However the apartment strangely hold dearer to him than the estate.

Sasuke started to recall back to his old apartment.

It was a charity given to him by the Sandaime after his clan was massacred. Sasuke can remember countless times he woke up with bloody screams echoing in the empty apartment. But somehow, the building acted as a sanctuary for him. Sasuke's eyes dropped when he remembered the group photo of team seven; the one with him, Naruto, Sakura and their old sensei, Kakashi.

The same photo that he slammed facedown onto the desk the night he left Konoha for Orochimaru.

Abruptly, Sasuke's fist clutched into a tight ball. The thought of someone else living in either of his old residences made him feel agitated.

"Is anyone living there?" Though the question was simple and his voice was calm, Tsunade did not miss the hostility.

"As a matter of fact, no one was willing to settle in the Uchiha complex… for obvious reasons." Tsunade said, carefully studying the reaction of the young man in front of her.

Sasuke's fist loosened slightly.

"How about the apartment?"

"The same as before."

Sasuke's fist loosened completely.

"I want them back." It was a simple, yet irrational request.

"They do not belong to you anymore," Tsunade said, purposely trying to annoy him. She wanted to see how the brat will react. "If you want them back, you must pay for them."

There was short pause before Sasuke asked, "How much?"

Tsunade's eyebrows raised a fraction of a centimeter. It seemed that he was serious about getting his estate back.

"There is no definite price. But if you behave good, I might just give them back to you as a reward." Tsunade smirked. She was having so much fun!

Sasuke frowned… the old hag was toying with him.

The amusement in the Hokage's voice settled down and she said in a firm voice, "_As_ I was saying, you'll be required to stay with Haruno Sakura, until further notice. No questions asked."

Suddenly, a brilliant idea popped into the female Sannin's head. "Naruto, as I recall, you have Sakura's house keys. Why don't you show them to there right now? Give Sakura a message regarding my decision." _'This is great! It's like killing two birds with one stone!' _

"You're dismissed." Tsunade-sama waved her hand, indicating them to leave.

Amazingly, Sasuke bowed to the Hokage-sama, before following Naruto (who didn't bother to bow) out the door. His stunned teammates glanced each other before doing the same.

'_At least the brat have some sort of respect, unlike Naruto…'_

* * *

The three members of Team Ten sat at a table beside the window. On the windowsill was a small but elegant crystal vase with the water filled halfway. Perched inside the vase was two freshly plucked flowers: a red rose and a yellow daffodil. The two flowers swayed back and forth together in perfect tempo to the cool breeze that was blowing through the half-opened window.

The food on the table remained untouched.

Shikamaru glanced at the two innocent flowers and then at Ino. "You're still doing this. Everyday since that incident two years ago, you have never stop doing this." His voice was calm, but the hint of sadness (and annoyance?) cannot be missed.

"Not everyday," whispered Ino, "When I'm on missions, I can't exactly get new flowers, can I?"

"You know what I mean," sighed Shikamaru, "The first thing you do when you get back from a mission is to change the flowers. What do you hope to accomplish by doing this?"

Ino's lips quivered, "What _can_ I do?"

"You can talk to her," Choji said. He cursed the heavy atmosphere that was ruining his appetite.

"He's exactly right," Shikamaru mumbled, rubbing his temples using the thumb and forefinger of one hand. "Instead of waiting two weeks for us to come back from our mission, why don't you just ask Sakura herself? I'm not even sure if I should tell you what happened, seeing that this is none of my business."

Ino's eyes shot up, "But you always tell me how she's doing on her missions!! You're such a hypocrite saying this right now!!"

Shikamaru groaned, tilting his head back and facing the ceiling, which was much better than facing Ino's enraged face. "This is different."

"How is this different!?" Ino cried out. "I was going to ask you what happened at that mission but both you and Choji were sent to _another_ mission right after you came back! Along with Neji, but I wouldn't ask him anyway. And I couldn't ask Lee or Tenten because I don't even know them that well! Do you know how hard it was for me to wait these two weeks for you to come back?! And now you're saying that you're not going to tell me anything?!"

The shadow user waited for his girlfriend to stop her bitching spree before replying calmly, "I never said that I was not going to tell you anything…"

Ino blinked twice, before settling back into her chair; feeling a bit stupid than she did two minutes ago. "So…" she said timidly for a change, "What happened? Why was Sakura banned from missions for three weeks?"

Shikamaru and Choji both sighed inwardly. Looking at Ino's tense figure, Shikamaru groaned again, "Honestly, if you're so concerned with her well-being, why don't you just face her yourself. Why do you always harass me and Choji for the information?"

"JUST TELL ME DAMMIT!!" It was an expected outburst.

"Fine, fine," mumbled Shikamaru, scratching his head. Staring at Ino right in the eyes, he said, "But you're not going to like what I'm about to tell you."

* * *

Sasuke and his "little" minions was jumping roof to roof, in the wake of a hyper blond teen.

"The village changed quite a bit since you left Sasuke," shouted Naruto back at his friend.

"Hmm," replied the stoic Uchiha. Gazing around, Sasuke examined his old (and new) village. He remembered some landmarks from his childhood days, but he also spot some areas of the village that was definitely different.

"Hey, we're almost there!" Naruto's voice shouted.

Sasuke stared directly in front of him. A relatively large, cream coloured building was getting closer and closer. The base shape of the building was a hexagon with a hollow circle in it, each of its six sides had the longer side of a rectangle attached to it (by the looks of it, it seemed that two apartment shared one rectangle). With a bird's view, the whole structure looked like a giant flower with angular petals. This six floored building was very new and cannot be older than two years.

The group stopped in front of a large pair of double doors which as placed between the valley of two of the rectangular sections.

"Yah, we're here," smiled Naruto brightly. "This is the front door, there's also two back doors. And of course, you can always use the windows if you're in a hurry," he joked. It was a very cold joke.

Sasuke frowned slightly. He wanted to test his powers and fight this future Hokage in front of him. He _did not _want a freaking _**tour**_.

Pushing the doors open, the group stepped in. The sight in front of them was truly breath taking.

The base of the building was a hollow circle because that circle was used as a large-ass yard. There were gravel roads leading through-out the courtyard in no particular patterns; surrounded by clean-cut lawns, flower beds and bushes, elegant fountains with water spurting out the statues, and the most of the taller trees had a wooden bench under them.

The courtyard was railed off by a fence made out of thin metal bars, that was layered with glossy white coating. Six giant white poles cut through the fence, each placed with an equal distance between each other. They go way up to the six floor, acting as the main support for the structure. The whole building was based on the western-style.

After examining the huge yard on his right-hand side, Sasuke then peered to his left, to see cream coloured walls with doors made out of fine and polished wood. He turned back and stared in front of him. The clean hallway split in two, to form a stairway to the next floor. There were three stairway on each floor, placed with equal distance between each other. The second floor's stairways were not directly above the first floor's, instead they were placed in the middle of the stairs below them. In result, the first, third, and fifth floor's stairways were aligned vertically together, while the second, fourth, and sixth floor's stairways were aligned together.

A shinobi should always be aware of their surroundings.

"Teme!! What are you staring at?! Hurry up, I'm not going to wait for you!!" A loud and annoying voice called from above.

"Hmm," responded Sasuke as he followed Naruto up the stairs.

"This is such a sweet place to live in," Suigetsu said giving off a mock sigh, "I wouldn't mind staying here for a while."

"This is an only a temporary arrangement," reminded Sasuke in front of him.

"Yah, yah, I know." Suigetsu waved with one hand, the smile lingering on his face.

"It _is_ a very nice place…" Juugo murmured, more to himself than to anyone else as a bird fluttered out of a tree in the yard and onto his forearm.

"I can't believe this," whined Karin, "All these times we've been sleeping on cold earth, this little girl have been dwelling in the clouds?"

"The advantages of belonging to a wealthy village," relied Juugo simply before gently heaving the bird off his arm.

"And your metaphor sucks." The shark-like boy smirked widely at glasses face.

"Shut-up!"

* * *

Ino stared at Shikamaru for a long while before she look out the window and spoke in a faint whisper, "I never liked any of the things that I heard during these past two years…"

Shikamaru's gaze hardened on his girlfriend's frail figure. It was so "un-Ino-ish" that it pained him to look at her in this state.

"Sakura was banned from missions for three weeks because she disobeyed the captain's orders," said Choji, with his arms across his chest. He _really_ hated this heavy atmosphere right now.

"What was the mission? And what orders did she disobeyed?" Ino turned to Choji, desperate to learn everything she can off him.

Shikamaru sighed. This was going to be so troublesome… "We were assigned to fend off an illegal organization that was kidnapping the citizens and conducting experiments on them. Of course, since it was an ANBU mission, I can't tell you anymore than that." _'I shouldn't be telling you any of this at __**all**_

Ino's eyes widened, "W-what? How could Hokage-sama…" Her voice trailed off, refusing to continue. The young kunoichi's lips were quivering, as her eyes stared painfully at the floor, "Sakura…"

A scowl suddenly appeared on Shikamaru's face, "You don't have to sympathetic for her, Ino."

Ino's head shot up. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Staring at his girlfriend sternly, the shadow user continued without interruptions, "You didn't see that look in her eyes. She was _eager_ to go. She's not who she used to be."

"How could you say that?" Ino hissed, a hint of anger sparked in her sapphire orbs.

Shikamaru's expression became darker than before. "I say it because it's true. She was _ecstatic_ to go on the mission. She even disobeyed the captain's command, and went to hunt down all the enemies by herself."

"I don't blame her," Ino spat childishly.

_'I really don't want to tell her this…' _"One of the enemies she hunted down… his body was beyond recognition. She tortured him. The man's face was peeled away, his ears and were cut off. The eyeballs were dug out from their sockets and the tongue was sliced into three parts. His ribcage was completely shattered, and all his organs suffered internal bleeding. The guy was missing fingers and toes, and his male organs were _ripped_ out **completely**. His entire body was burned by her poison, one of her most potent type… but she was careful to not let him die too quickly. She wanted him to suffer before dieing the most horrible death…"

The blonde haired female was stunned in her spot. The expression of horror froze on her face. In a wimpy little voice, Ino managed to choke out, "But w-why…? She must had a good reason-"

"There was no reason. She just needed someone to vent her anger at, and that misfortunate man just happened to be at the receiving end of her hatred." Though his voice was calmer and not as harsh, it hurt all the same. "Ino… give up, there's nothing you can do to help her. If you're not careful she might end up hurting you as well, just like-"

"Shut up."

Ino's bangs covered her eyes and she stood up from the table and walked away. Opening and closing the balcony door, the blue eyed girl collapsed against the cold, grey wall. Her breathing was irregular and her heart was beating furiously.

Weary eyes gazed at the cloudless sky.

_"Ino, run!"_

_"What about you?! "_

_"The bridge isn't big enough for two people anyway. Go first, I'll come right after I defeat these three goons."_

_"But-!" _

_"JUST GO!!"_

_Reluctantly, the blue eyed girl ran across the narrow and swinging bridge, her blonde ponytail racing behind her. The rushing water in the bottomless canyon below crashed violently against the rocks. _

_Once the girl got to the other side, she quickly looked back, to see her friend punching down the last enemy. Relieve flooded the girl's face as her friend started for the bridge. But not for long. Before she knew it, two dozen shinobis jumped out from the bushes._

_Blue eyes widened._

_She raced back for the bridge._

_Green eyes widened._

_"No, don't come! RUN!!"_

_She wouldn't listen. Just as she had her first step back on the bridge, a kunai with an explosive tag tied to it was hurled onto one of the rigidly planks. _

_It was Sakura's kunai. _

_In a fraction of a second, the old bridge became nothing more but burning debris._

_The blonde haired kunoichi was met by darkness when the impact hurled her back against a tree. Away from the other side. Away from her comrade. Away from her friend… _

_… perhaps forever…_

When Ino regained consciousness, Sakura was no where to be seen. She went back to her group, without her partner. Captain Neji was not happy. For many days and nights, they conducted search parties to try to find her. It was an utter nightmare.

"Ino…"

Looking up, Ino saw Choji at the balcony door, holding a letter in his hand. "This just came from Hokage-sama."

Tiredly, the once sassy girl reached for the letter and opened it. Her eyes widened in disbelieve, and her mouth was literarily opened like a goldfish.

"Sasuke-kun is back?! THAT _**BASTARD**_ IS BACK?!" Ino stared at Choji, "This can't be happening. She'll be hurt again. He'll hurt her again. SAKURA SHOULDN'T BE HURT ANYMORE!!" She screeched hysterically.

Choji adverted his gaze; not wanting to face the emotionally distressed Ino right now.

_'Forehead girl… please be alright…'_

* * *

Sakura landed in the middle of an old and abandoned training field. The cool wind continued to carry the scent of her long pink hair into the clearing. Fresh scent of cherry blossoms filled the air.

"You didn't need do that… there are better ways of contacting me than this…" The jade eyed beauty said in a flat tone to the empty field.

"I suppose not, but this was much more efficient." A deep voice spoke from behind her. There was a pause before… "Are you in pain?"

"No," Sakura lied in a collected voice that betrayed nothing. Not that there was much to betray, since the pain had decreased to a gentle throbbing in her chest.

"You're lying. You wouldn't have minded if it was not overly painful."

Sakura mentally sighed. Nowadays, he could see through her so clearly, it was scary.

"So comes the price of chakra binding." The young woman replied simply, "But please don't emit so much chakra so suddenly anymore. Just a little bit of chakra leak and I'll know."

"My apologies."

"No matter," said Sakura in the same dead tone, "It's almost three months, the chakra binding seal would soon lose its effect."

"I feel like I'm being use," the deep voice stated with no visible emotions.

"Do you mind?" The pink haired girl asked. Her tone was equally plain.

"No."

The wind changed its direction, and so did Sakura's long hair. It was now flying into her face. Sakura brushed a strand away before allowing herself to lean back against the man behind her.

The young girl's voice became softer as she quietly whispered, "Thank you, Neji."

* * *

A/N: Surprise, surprise! I shall say no more. Man, I'm one evil bitch. XD

_:Remember to please review!!: -Every review is another step towards making me finish the next chapter faster!! Happy faces will do too!! Also, if there's any mistakes please let me know!!_

_Lidiya_


	4. Welcome Back

A/N: I'm sorry for the slow update! -bows madly- But I have a very good excuse which I shall explain in a chemical formula! And since I can no longer upload "equal sign", I shall substitute it with "-".

So… here's my **"Vicious Cycle of Year End Third Term"**

_Lots of homework and studying - stress - foul mood - harm on personal relationships - depression - lack of concentration - unacceptable academic marks - lots of homework and studying _(and so on)

So I'm sure people will understand, because if you don't it's ether: A) You're a fing genius who gets straight "A's" with trying, or B) You're a fing emotionless ice cube.

Now, back to the story

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A young Jounin with long raven hair walked towards the main counter of inside the Konoha hospital.

"May I ask for Haruno Sakura's room number?" The sixteen-years-old Hyuuga politely asked.

"Haruno-san? Give me a second," the woman replied flipping through a thick binder, "Tsunade-sama is not allowing any visitors at the time…"

"I have permission granted by the Hokage-sama," Neji replied handing a piece of parchment to the nurse.

The woman frowned before carefully examining the note that silver-eyed Jounin handed her. "The room number is 305. I will be careful if I were you. Though here physical shape is not at any risks, Haruno-san is in an unstable mental state right now. We have yet to confirm if there will be any permanent psychological issues."

Giving her a brief nod of thanks, Neji headed for the stairs. The nurse at the counter shook her head in sympathy.

Pausing for a moment under the brass plate that read "305", Neji gently knocked on the door.

He waited for a minute, but there was no answer. He knocked again, but the result was still the same. His jaws tightened slightly before pushing open the door and stepping in.

The room was a private one; painted all white, which made the place feel serene and calm. The window was open, with white curtains fluttering away in the wind.

The flower vase on the windowsill was empty.

White counters and cupboards full of medical products stood at one side of the room. At the opposite side of the room Haruno Sakura was sitting up in the bed. The silent girl was peering out of the window, away from the door where Neji stood.

Hanging from the silver pole-like stand, two bags of liquid was emptying its content into the girl's body through thin plastic tubes.

"Sakura-san?" Neji said in a voice softer than his normal ones.

The fifteen-year old beauty turned around.

Her short pink hair was in a mess. Bandages wrapped around her head, revealing only half her face and her rosy lips. Despite everything the healers did, cuts and bruises was still everywhere.

The worst part was the look in her eyes. That look was stabbing into Neji's heart like well-polished kunai. Her once lively emerald eyes were gone. In their place was two foreign, dead green blobs, with one-half covered behind bandages.

"Neji-taichou?" Her voice was equally dead.

Neji stepped forward and bowed deeply, his body formed a 90-degree angle. "I deeply apologize for my lack of leadership. I am unfit to be your captain, yet I will selfishly ask you to forgive me."

Sakura's visible right eye blinked. "Neji-san… it was not your fault, I was careless. I deserve what I-"

"No!" Neji suddenly shouted, causing the poor girl to give a violent twitch. Seeing her discomfort, Neji quickly calmed down. "What I m-meant was that no one should have to go through something like that."

"B-b-but," Sakura stuttered violently as her eyes widened and started rolled back behind her head. Dark images flashed through her head.

_Blackness was the background of her surrounding._

_Chains rattling._

_The computer monitors flashing._

_Taunting laughter. _

_Needles and test-tubes and blood. _

_Shrieking._

_"You deserve it because you're weak."_

"Sakura-san! Are you alright?!"

Sakura's eyes snapped as she gazed directly into Neji's concerned face. Her small body was hunching all the way over the edge of the bed. The only support she had was Neji's arms that wrapped securely around her fragile shoulders.

A look of confusion dominated Sakura's face. "H-help me…"

Neji gritted his teeth tightly as he cursed the damn souls who was responsible this girl's anguish to hell.

"I'm here for you."

* * *

[**Scarlet **

_**haruka na hoshizora ni yume wa mada miemasu ka?  
osanai ano hi yori azayaka desu ka? **_

_**mune ni afurete tsunoru omoi  
nemuri wasurete jounetsu no iro**_

_**tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta  
ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru **_

_**GARASU no bara yori mo hakanakute moroi no ni  
yume miru koto wa naze sadame na no deshou **_

_**futatsu no yume ga ai ni natte  
ai ni narenai koto mo atte**_

_**hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii  
kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni naru**_

_**hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii  
kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni...**_

_**tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta  
ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru**_

_[Can you still see your dreams in the distant, starry sky?  
Are they more vivid than they were when you were little?_

_When one forgets to put the emotions that overflow in her heart  
to rest, they burn the color of passion. _

_I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were.  
But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart. _

_Dreams are more fragile and fleeting than a glass rose,  
so then why are we destined to dream? _

_Sometimes two dreams can turn into love,  
but there are also times when they can't. _

_Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard.  
Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife. _

_Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard.  
Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife._

_I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were.  
But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart._

* * *

_**Chapter 4: Welcome Back**_

Sasuke gazed emotionlessly at the door in front of him. The brass number plate on it read "607".

"Welcome everyone!! You'll now receive a first hand account on Sakura-chan's personal sanctuary." Naruto's energy was unmatchable.

"Dobe, drop the drama."

"Shut-up Teme!!" shouted Naruto with two large semi-circles for eyes.

"Humph."

"That's right, still act like you'll the best huh?" Naruto smirked.

"Can you say otherwise?" Sasuke smirked back with his eyes closed. In all honestly, he did not know why he was enjoying this moment. It took him back to the past when they were still team seven, a memory he left behind… but still treasured.

Of course, he would rather _die_ then let anyone know it.

"I can take you on any time!" The hothead blonde yelled with confidence, sticking his thumb towards himself.

Sasuke's smirk grew wider as he reached for his katana.

"NOT NOW!!!" Naruto panicked, "Sakura-chan will _kill_ me if anything happens to her apartment."

"Hn." Sasuke dropped his hand, "Whatever you say… mister scaredy-cat."

"What did you-!" Naruto's jaws hit the floor when Sasuke inserted the key to the apartment and stepped in.

"How did you get that key?!?!?!"

Behind him, one thought was in the mind of Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo, _'He has no stealth skill whatsoever.' _

Being the first one inside the building, Sasuke took that precious minute to examine his surroundings undisturbed.

Everything about the room was of the latest design and model. A low two-layered shoe stand stood underneath the silver coatrack that was place beside the door. The room was bright due to the large windows that lined up against wall on his left-hand side.

The kitchen area was at the corner of the left-hand wall and the back wall. Its grounding was of fine, white linoleum. Counters that were line up to form an "L" shape marked off the kitchen area. A dishwasher and large stove that contained an oven was place among the counters. There was also a built-in sink with three containments. The high cupboards were line up at the back wall in the kitchen area. Under them was a roll of counters that were different from the previous ones. They were richer in colour, and had a wavy shaped edge.

The dinning area was just a simple squared table pushed against the left-hand widowed wall. Two smartly carved chairs were place at each side; six chairs in total. It was in front of the kitchen, so it was closer to Sasuke who was standing at the front door, (with a mad Naruto pissing off behind him).

Across from the dining area was the living "room". It consisted of a large T.V placed in an angular direction against the bottom right corner (given if the kitchen was consider to be at the top left corner), a low coffee table, and a red leather sofa that was huge enough for even Juugo to sleep in and still feel comfortable. Right beside the living area, at the right-hand wall, was a door that let to a small washroom consisting of a porcelain toilet and a matching sink with a mirror attached to a cupboard above it

Beside the kitchen, at the back wall, were two doors. Sasuke strolled over and opened the door nearest to the kitchen.

"Teme!! Don't wander around anywhere you please!! This is Sakura-chan's house we're talking about!! She'll kill me…" Naruto mumbled the last part helplessly.

Sasuke thoroughly ignored him.

The room he just went in was Sakura's medical office. Due to its crowdedness, it seemed smaller than it actually was.

A large table were place in the middle of the room. The top was clean, except for a stack of paper and gold two-slot penholder with one of the ink pens missing. Straight ahead was an elegant French door that somewhat seemed out of place when compared to the rest of the room.

The right-hand wall was lined up with large bookshelves, full of books, files and scrolls.

Counters and cupboards of medical products were lined up at the left-hand wall. Exotic jars of different shapes and sizes were placed on racks and in high cupboards, and the more regular looking (and identical) white bottles were stacked up on the counters underneath, in hiragana order. The counter closet to the door had a built-in sink that gave off a lustrous shine. Beside that counter, at the bottom left corner of the room was another door.

Pushing it open, Sasuke went in. He continued to ignore Naruto's frantic cries. The light in this room was blindingly bright which caused Sasuke to squint. It was a humongous greenhouse with a very high ceiling. This was one of the advantages of being at the top floor.

The green house was dominated with plants of every form, in pots, on shelves or hanging from the ceiling. Four long, three-layered, bench-like stands were placed in the middle of the room, in the shape of a square. The plants placed on the bottom layers were larger than the ones placed on the top. There was a "flower bed" at one of the corners, except instead of flowers, it was filled with oddly shaped herbs. At another corner was a tree, or something that resembled a tree. Its body was covered by ferns and moss of different types. Along the glass walls, were shelves that held small pots of flowers that were suspiciously beautiful.

Sasuke frowned when he sensed the strong chakra signals in the room. It seemed that Sakura had been feeding her chakra to these plants. This was something that required great chakra control _and_ stamina to do. Chakra control, Sasuke knew that was Sakura's specialty, but stamina?

_'It seems that she really did grow…'_

"SASUKE-TEME!!! GET OUT OF THERE!!!" Naruto's overly loud voice had every potential to shatter the glass in the green house.

"These are Sakura-chan's babies!! If _anything_ happens to them…" Naruto trailed off, images of pure horror filled his mind.

Sasuke brushed rudely pass him, which actually made Naruto feel relieved than pissed off. At least Sakura-chan will not be after his head now…

Sasuke went through the French door of the medical office that lead to the balcony.

"TEMEEEE!!!!"

The long balcony had elegant white railings, but was filled with not so elegant plants. Those plants also contained hints of Sakura's chakra signals. Sasuke turned to his right, it seemed that the balcony was collected to another room.

The silent Uchiha turned around and headed back.

Naruto huffed heavily, leaning against the kitchen counters. "Teme, don't do that again. Sakura-chan doesn't like others coming into contact with her personal-"

"She gave you her house keys, didn't she?" Sasuke's voice was as neutral as it can get. But of course, it was meant as an insult.

An insult that Naruto didn't get…

"Sakura-chan trust me!!" Naruto beamed proudly.

Suigetsu raised an eyebrow, "Are you her boyfriend or something?"

"I think they make a very cute couple," Karin sniggered.

Naruto blushed before laughing it off, "Come on there's no way that could happen."

Ignoring the idiots, Sasuke opened the other door beside the office. It was Sakura's room. _'So that's the other room the balcony was collected to.'_

"Ahhhh!!! Nooooo!!!" Naruto's wail was really causing an irritating effect on Sasuke, who's patience was getting dangerously thin.

Slamming the door with unnecessary strength, Sasuke was about to move onto the door that was directly across from the kitchen; beside the small washroom by the living room.

Before he even touched the door knob, Naruto's hand griped onto his wrist. The blonde boy's voice changed. It was low, serious and _very_ different from his previous tone. "_**Don't go in there.**_"

Sasuke remained passive, he can sense the threatening aura coming out of his "friend".

"Why?"

"She'll feel hurt." The bangs covered Naruto's eyes, making him seem much more darker than he was two minutes ago.

Sasuke let his hand drop. "Let go now…"

* * *

Sakura turned to face her silver-eyed boyfriend. "What did you want to see me for? It must have been important, seeing that you just returned from your mission and haven't even changed yet."

Neji's eyebrows furrowed, "Is he really back?"

Sakura mentally sighed. "News travels fast."

"Indeed."

There was a moment of silence as a cool breeze brushed pass them. Long black and pink hair intertwined together.

"Yes, he's back." Sakura's soft voice was void of all emotions.

"What are you going to do?" Neji asked, his tone matching hers.

Sakura's eyes flashed, "Why do both you and Naruto think that I'll act different now that he's back?" A hint of bitterness lingered in her honeysweet voice. Wow, oxymoron much?

Neji remained silent.

_"Please Naruto, I beg you to bring Sasuke-kun back to me…"_

It was amazing that a memory of five years ago can irritate him to no end. It was ironic was that at the time, it had held no particular significance to him.

Sakura looked away, "He means nothing to me. When I look at him now, all I see is a shadow of someone I once knew. Or thought I knew. Someone who was not with me when I needed him."

Sakura paused before continuing, "Neji, you were with me. We lean on each other. Why would you think that I will give you up for the Uchiha?"

Neji gazed down at the beautiful female in his arms. "But you would have preferred to be with him… if he was there for you."

"But he wasn't." Sakura's voice was sharp, "And I wouldn't know if I would have preferred him because it _didn't_ happen."

Neji was silent once again and Sakura knew that she had won.

"So captain," she teasingly mocked, "what's my next _mission_?" Her suggestive tone, made the eighteen-years-old ANBU captain blush and look away. A genius' blush will always be the best kind of blush.

Sakura smiled, though the smile seemed to be lacking something.

Leaning forward, Sakura gently kissed the Hyuuga genius on the lips. The sweet scent lingered, but not for long.

As times before, that nagging feeling came once again. Something was telling her that this was not right; that she was making a mistake. The tiny voice in her heart screamed to her.

She silenced it.

That tiny voice now echoed in her hollow heart.

Sakura lifted her head from Neji's shoulders. "Say, Neji. Can I come to the complex with you?"

Neji's shoulders stiffened, "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I put up with people's nonsense everyday, I think I can handle it."

Nodding, Neji turned back. In a flash, both ninjas disappeared from the field.

* * *

_"Teme, why do you have to examine Sakura-chan house like this? Don't you have any respect for other people's property?" Naruto's voice was dark and dangerous._

_"How do I know that this isn't a trap?" Sasuke's voice was toneless._

_"WHY THE HELL WOULD THIS BE A TRAP!?!?!?" Naruto's eyes became two semi-circles again and his mouth became larger than his face. _

A part of Sasuke was secretly glad that Naruto didn't change much, personality wise.

"The moron is the same as ever," Sasuke muttered to himself as his natural body reflex continued blocking Karin from getting too close to him. He was sitting down on the red leather sofa, with the annoying Karin bitch trying to snuggle against him. Juugo sat beside the sofa, leaning against the wall.

"So blondie, if not your girlfriend, what is she to you? I'm no expert with relationships, but I know that you don't give your house keys to random strangers." Suigetsu smirked as he took another sip from his water bottle. He was laying comfortably on his stomach, at the other side of the sofa.

Naruto was leaning against the wall, beside Juugo, when he answered in his usual cheerful voice, "She's a special friend."

"What _type_ of friend?" Suigetsu pushed. There was no better things to do anyway.

The two continued to bicker over Naruto's relationship with Sakura while the younger Uchiha prodigy glanced around his surrounding again.

Even though this apartment was so different from the den of that snake, it reminded Sasuke of his old "room" with Orochimaru. The young Uchiha frowned, why was that?

* * *

Sakura stole a glance at Neji beside her. Like many times, his face displayed nothing except pure "_neutralness_".

Sakura called his name.

The handsome genius turned his head towards her. "Yes?"

Sakura's face tightened into an unfathomable expression of bitterness and… guilt? "Why do you let me test my developing Jutsu on you? Especially that Chakra Binding seal? There was a high chance for that sealing to be unsuccessful." There was a small pause before Sakura's expression saddened as she looked away and whispered in a small voice, "You don't have to do all these things for me."

Neji remained silent for a while. He felt his heart squeeze together at the look on Sakura's face. A look like that of a lost child.

"I do it because I want to. Also… I trust you."

Because Sakura's head was turned away, Neji couldn't see the expression on her face.

There was short mocking laughter. A laughter made to sound taunting in order to disguise the pain and sorrow deep inside.

After the laughter ended, a wicked grin caused from bitterness appeared on Sakura's face. "You really shouldn't trust me. After all, I don't even trust myself."

Neji's forehead became slightly wrinkled. Will there ever be a day that Sakura will open freely to him?

The pair stopped in front of the large Hyuuga complex. It was an intimidating sight, but not as intimidating as Sakura was in the pale eyes of the Hyuuga guards.

"Neji-sama," One of the guards started but was silence by Neji's hand.

"She's with me."

The Hyuuga guards grudgingly nodded and made way for the young couple.

"It feels nice to be in the position of power." Sakura grinned as they walked through the outer hallways of the massive building.

"Hmm," was all that of Neji's responds.

Passing clan members looked either shocked or disgusted, or both. All the looks were directed at Sakura.

Whispers filled the air.

"She has some guts coming here."

"It's all because of Neji-sama's good will, that she is allowed to step within our walls."

"This vile woman do not deserve to be in his presence."

"What _misfortune_ had befallen Naruto-sama when he was befriended by this poisonous woman."

Sakura's face remained blank. Neji frowned. "You shouldn't push yourself."

"What they say is what they say. It has nothing to do with me." This seemed to be a rehearsed sentence. One that held no meaning.

Around the corner, a messenger came stumbling by. Giving Sakura a quick nasty glance, he turned to Neji and bowed.

"Neji-sama, Hiashi-sama requires your presence right away."

"Tell him I'll be there as soon as possible," Neji replied in a professional voice, befitting of a clan leader.

The messenger bowed again and quickly walked away.

When he was out of sight, Sakura sighed, "What are you waiting for? Go. I know this place inside and out; I don't need a guide."

Neji hesitated before giving Sakura a small nod and took off to the opposite direction. He respected her wishes.

Sakura continued walking down the hall, to a less populated area of the complex. Her eyes were dull sheets as she focused all her energy so she wouldn't run away.

Finally, Sakura came to a stop in front of a large traditional, Japanese sliding door. Gently, Sakura extended her hand and was about to knock on the door before she suddenly pulled them back. Her body would not listen to her. Summoning all her strength (which was _a lot_); Sakura reached forward again, and knocked on the door. Two soft knocks.

A feminine voice spoke from the other side, "Who is it?"

Sakura's bangs covered her eyes as she swallowed hard before whispering, "It's me."

The voice brightened, "Sakura-san! Come in!"

Sakura felt her hand shake as she slid the door open. Inside was a small tearoom with a single low-stand table in the middle. Straight ahead, a dark haired maiden covered in a beautiful silk kimono was leaning elegantly with one arm on the wooden windowsill, facing the sky outside. The kimono she wore was large and had at least five separate layers, each of a different shade of purple with specks of tiny, flowery designs.

The many layers of the kimono spread around the young maiden, complementing her beauty and noble bloodline. Her long raven hair went pass her heels and rested peacefully like dark rivers on the polished wooden floor.

Sakura envied this pure maiden with the essence of a celestial goddess.

Sakura stood firm on her spot and could not bring herself to step in; to taint this beautiful maiden's purity.

The maiden sensed this. "Sakura-san, why are you just standing there? Come sit beside me," whispered the maiden in her soft voice without turning around from the window.

Sakura's muscles tensed up as she stepped cautiously towards the maiden, being extra careful not to come in contact with the expensive kimono. She felt like a fish out of water, so awkward to be in the same scene as this maiden, so out of place.

Sakura stopped in front of the dark haired angel before sitting down slowly and quietly.

"Sakura-san, how have you been?" The maiden slowly turned around, staring at Sakura's direction with a pair of dull and clouded silver eyes.

"I'm fine Hinata-san," Sakura choked out.

Hinata frowned as she stared blindly into space. "You're lying Sakura-san, how can you be fine when you're trembling so hard? I can feel the vibration so clearly through the floor."

Sakura's fist immediately clutched tightly together, in a pathetic attempt to stop her trembling body.

Hearing her silence, Hinata said, "You haven't visited me in such a long time. And when you do visit, you're always so depressed. Why don't we have tea as you tell me what you've been up to lately?"

Sakura thanked her as she got up and held her hand to Hinata. She came to comfort Hinata. But it seemed that she's the one who's being comforted instead.

Wrapping her hand gently around Hinata's slender fingers, Sakura guided the Hyuuga heiress to the tea table.

Being the host, Hinata started to pour Sakura her tea. The steaming water missed the cup and hit the table. Wincing, Sakura shifted the cup under the flow of the green tea.

"Thank you," Sakura whispered as she received the cup from Hinata.

"You're welcome," Hinata replied.

There was a long moment of silence before Hinata broke it. "So, you knew I was going to be here?"

"Yes."

Another moment of silence.

"Do you know why?"

Sakura shook her head before mentally smacking herself and answering, "No."

Hinata smiled, "Its peaceful out here. Nobody ever comes, so I can be free to listen to the songs that nature sings."

Sakura's lips quivered. "It's all my fault, isn't it?"

Hinata was shocked as she cried, "No! Sakura-san please don't think like that-!" The dark haired maiden accidentally knocked her cup down to the floor. It rolled away from her, leaving a trail hot liquid in its wake.

Hinata panicked and dive to the floor, trying to feel for the cup. She let out a small cry as her delicate hand landed in the spilled tea.

Bending down as well, Sakura took hold of Hinata's hand and healed the blisters with her glowing green chakra. Reaching out, Sakura picked up the cup and placed it back in Hinata's hands.

"Thank you," she whispered. _Sakura_ whispered.

"What are you talking about Sakura-san? I should be the one thanking you." Hinata laughed nervously.

Sakura cracked. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have burned your hand! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have to pour me tea! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here, helpless…" Tears were emerging from Sakura's emerald eyes. Rationality was leaving her.

"Sakura…" Hinata whispered, feeling her way to Sakura's face and wiping off newly shed tears. "I'm _not_ helpless," the raven haired girl stated firmly, causing Sakura to turn her head.

Softening her voice, Hinata continued in a gentle tone, "This might sound crazy to you… but being blind is one of the few best things that ever happened to me. Next to my Naruto-kun of course." Hinata smiled earnestly.

Sakura gazed with disbelieve at the young woman in front of her. "You're only saying this to comfort-"

"No," Hinata said firmly again, "I do not find comfort in telling lies, Sakura-san."

The pink haired kunoichi was eerily quiet.

_"Sakura-san!! Please get a hold of yourself!" The silver-eyed girl yelled, against the current of Sakura uncontrollable chakra. The uncontrollable chakra that was impure and infused with something else. Something sinister._

_Holding her head tightly, Sakura's torturing screams continued. The chakra tornado continued to revolve around her, growing larger and larger by the second. _

_"Sakura-chan!! Get a grip!!" Naruto's voice shot to her ears. It didn't help much. _

_Biting her lips, Hinata made a dive for the girl wrapped in her own anguish. _

_Demonic green eyes widened as a its owner lashed out her chakra at her own rescuer. It whipped the raven haired kunoichi across the eyes, and flung her backwards._

_Luckily, Naruto made it in time to break her fall. It didn't do much, for Hinata had already been harmed beyond any chance of recovery._

Hinata felt Sakura's discomfort and gripped onto her hands tightly. "Sakura-san, listen to me."

Like a injured animal, Sakura peered into Hinata's dead eyes, only to quickly turn away in shame.

The dark haired beauty's grip on Sakura's hands tightened, "Before I lost my sight, life was a nightmare. I didn't know what I want and was constantly afraid of what my fathers and others might think of me. I was living a half-life where I had to looked behind my shoulders for every two steps I take. Ever wonder why I was so timid?"

There was a short pause, as Hinata let what she said soak into the pink haired girl before continuing, "I hated myself for it. I wanted to be someone like Naruto-kun. Someone who has a dream that he is reaching out for with both hands; someone who doesn't care what others think of him as long as he is happy with himself.

"I wanted to be like that. I truly did. But I couldn't. As long as I had the Byakugan, I was a trapped bird, just like Neji-nii-san. I couldn't escape the responsibilities as a Hyuuga head, and I couldn't escape the constant disappointments I caused."

If it was possible, Sakura's eyes got even wider.

Hinata's voice now became barely a whisper, "But now I'm _free_. I won't have to bear the responsibilities as a Hyuuga head because I can no longer use the Byakugan. I won't cause disappointments because no one will _expect_ anything from me. _I won't have to care what others think of me_."

Sakura felt her inside twist into a tight knot, "But I killed your dreams."

Hinata smiled. "No you didn't. I had a lot of time to think about this, and I realize that the only reason I wanted to become a strong shinobi was to have people accept me. Now, I no longer have to carry that burden anymore. I also wanted someone to love me. Naruto-kun will always be there for me. What more can I ask for?"

Here came the longest pause before Sakura smiled sadly, "When will you two be married?"

Hinata blushed before answering, "It's a b-bit early for that, Sakura-san."

"Thank you, Hinata-chan…"

Hinata beamed. "You're very welcome Sakura-chan. I'm so happy that we have finally gotten over the formality."

* * *

Tsunade let out a heavy sigh and stared out of the window.

"Is something on your mind Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked.

"I guess…"

"Are you worrying about Sakura-chan?" Shizune asked before saying in a brighter voice, "Don't worry about her! Sakura-chan is tough. Things like this won't get to her."

Tsunade remained quite.

Shizune's happy expression fell. Her eyes shifted when she asked "You're still feeling guilty about sending her away for that one year?"

Tsunade's eyebrow furrowed.

Shizune's voice became protective, "It wasn't your fault Tsunade-sama!! There was nothing else you could have done! After that incident, the Hyuuga clan was out for Sakura-chan's head! If you didn't sent her away, who knows what could have happened to her!"

"Shizune," Tsunade whispered, "I feel age is finally catching on to me…"

* * *

Closing the door behind her, Sakura had to shut her eyes tightly to prevent the tears from flowing again. _'Hinata doesn't know everything. If she did, she would never have forgave me. I-!'_

The thought was too painful to continue.

* * *

Sakura was walking aimlessly down the street of Konoha when the first drop of rainwater hit her face; shaking her out of her reveries.

Taking a small watch out of her pouch, Sakura glanced briefly at it before putting it away again. _'It's already pass noon, they'll be getting hungry.'_

* * *

"Arrrgh!! I'm hungry!!" Suigetsu complaint loudly. Who didn't give a shit about what others thought of him.

"Hurry Sakura-chan! Come back so I can leave these freaks and go visit Ichiraku Ramen!" Naruto whined as well, his stomach rumbling harder than ever.

"Who are you calling a freak?!" Suigetsu yelled from the sofa.

"Who else?! Freak!" Naruto yelled back.

Ding, ding, ding! Round two! The two was engaged in another fight again…

"What are you two doing, making a mess of my house?" An arduous voice said from the front door. Sakura was leaning against the door frame with large bags in her hands. Her long pink hair was wet from the rain, and the water was dripping onto the carpet floor.

"Sakura-chan!!!!!" Naruto practically pounced on his pink haired friend, whom in return blocked him with her feet extended outwards, in a rather threatening position.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "What are these for?" He asked, indicating the bags

"Lunch." Sakura replied simply.

"Oh," said Naruto stupidly.

Suigetsu raised an eyebrow, "Hmm…? How did you know that we'll be residing at your home?"

"I knew Tsunade-sama very well. She's quite predictable when it comes to these type of things."

At another part of the Konoha village, the Slug Princess sneezed loudly.

Walking to the table, Sakura placed most of the bags on the table, except for an orange plastic one which she held out to Naruto. "Four bowls of Ichiraku Ramen. One is for Hinata-chan."

Naruto blinked for a full five seconds before his eyes glittered like an innocent child. "Thank you Sakura-chan," he sniffed, wiping the tears with the back of his hands.

Rolling her eyes at her best friend's dramatic display, Sakura secretly smiled to herself. "Hurry up and go back. Or else the Hyuuga clan members will start to think that I have abducted their great future leader."

Giving Sakura another quick thanks, Naruto ran out of the door, clutching tightly to his beloved ramen, and off to see his beloved Hinata. That boy seriously had too many "beloveds".

Sakura was truly glad that the Hyuuga have accepted Naruto among their mist. She was happy that Naruto finally found a family and a place he can call home. _'Even if most of the members are egotistical bastards.'_ The pink haired girl genuinely smiled at this thought. A smile that was not missed by the keen eyes of a certain Uchiha.

Returning her attention to the table, Sakura started to empty the bags of its contains.

"Wow," Suigetsu said, pocking his head from behind Sakura. On the table were trays after trays of different types of sushi that all happen to look very expensive.

"Let's eat.," Sakura said simply, taking a seat and snapping her chopsticks in half.

"I'm going to eat!" Suigetsu smiled, taking the seat beside Sakura and snatching a pair of chopsticks for himself.

The other Hebi members looked at each other for a sec before gathering at the table.

Sasuke was the last to join. His eyes narrowed slightly when Sakura revealed the content of the last bag. It was a tray of plain rice balls.

"Oh," said Sakura thoughtfully when their eyes met. Faking a smile she said, "Uchiha-san use to eat them a lot right?"

"Hn."

There was a pause before the pink haired girl whispered more to herself than anyone else, "I've been eating them quite often for a while now…"

A while, as in two years.

Sasuke remained silent as he seated himself by the window. Karin automatically sat down beside him, edging towards Sasuke and away from Suigetsu who was perfectly content sitting beside Sakura, facing the window. Meanwhile, Juugo took up one entire side of the table (the other chair was moved aside to make room for him).

Everyone, except Suigetsu, ate slowly and moderately. Karin gave one disgusted look at Suigetsu's horrible eating habit before whispering, "_Disgusting_." Figures.

"What was that four-eye?" The shark boy taunted, "You wanna go?"

"No fighting in my home, please," Sakura said tonelessly while reaching forward for another rice ball.

"Say," Suigetsu's attention span wasn't very long… "What's the deal with that door over there? The blonde kid almost had Sasuke's head for trying to open it."

Sasuke gave Suigetsu an annoyed stare.

Sakura's hand froze in midair. Then…

"Nothing's the deal. It's just the other apartment next door (608) which I own that haven't been refurbished. Naruto always makes a big fuss over nothing."

Suigetsu shrugged and let the subject drop. Sasuke on the other hand studied Sakura carefully, before looking away uncaringly (or so it seemed). He could tell that Sakura was hiding something, not that he cared of course. However, like the rice balls, the thought hung to him.

When he was still a Genin of this pathetic village, he ate a lot of rice balls. Why? They were easy and take very little time to make. Also because he have given up all the unneeded luxury of life and concentrated fully on his training. He had previously notice that there was not a single decoration or ornament in any of the rooms he visited. Just like his old room with the snake.

Sasuke couldn't shake off the eerie similarities between him and the present Sakura. Did something happen to her, to make her become this way?

The Sakura of the past cared a lot about her appearance and spent a lot of time on it. Sasuke peered at the pink haired girl. Even though her hair seemed nicely kept from a distant, when closely examined, he could tell that there were split ends and was definitely not in its best condition.

_'It seems that she really did change…' _Sasuke thought again as his eyes trailed down to the ANBU tattoo on Sakura's forearm.

The raven eyed Uchiha did acknowledge the power that Sakura displayed earlier, and he can not say that he was not impressed by it. He also concluded that it was because she "changed" that she obtained such powers.

The Sharigan wielder was deeply intrigued by Sakura's new power. Even though, a part of him did not want to be pulled into a power that was not his own, however, a greater part of him wanted to explore that power and make it his own.

He returned, expecting only to acknowledge the power of a certain Jinchuuriki. He never expected a bonus to come along. Maybe before he test his strength on Naruto, he will have a warmup round with the pink haired kunoichi. The though made Sasuke smirked with excitement of what Sakura had to show him…

His smirk was short lived when Sakura's peaceful voice spoke out. "By the way, Uchiha-san…"

"…welcome back."

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A/N: Here you go people! I was really tired when I wrote this so please excuse any mistakes I made and notify me of it, thanks.

I'm planning to submit another fanfic soon… as soon as I figure out what to call it… XP

So anyways, the setting for the new fanfic will take place in modern Tokyo so there's no ninja arts or etc. Keep your eyes out for it!! C8 I'm still not sure, but I want to post it when I post fifth chapter for this one.

_::please review!!:: _This way, I'd know how many people I was able to entertain and please. I just hope I can say the same thing for myself… T-T. Ok, ok, I'll emo another day. 83

_Lidiya -heart- u _

By the way, does the "opening song" (_Scarlet_) bugs you? Should I take it out?


	5. Nothing Changed

_Disclaimer: (must we do this every time…?) I do not own Naruto nor any of the other characters… but I do have this really cute Neji plushie… X3_

A/N: THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS!!!!

I'm extremely sorry that this chapter took so long. Also, I apologize to the promises I wasn't able to keep. I have a lot of excuses/reasons (w/e you wanna call them) to why this happened, but we've all been there and done that, so it really doesn't matter. So, Merry belated Christmas everyone! (And a Happy New Year X3)

Oh, by the way, I'm keeping the "opening song" because it feels weird without it, since the scene before the opening song is usually the "important scene" and it adds emphasis to the rest of the chapter. So, yah… I didn't want to ruin the mood, tone and atmosphere I was building up, meh. 83 (I apologize to people who find this a nuisance ; / )

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A dark figure stood at the door way.

The light behind her outlined sixteen-years-old Sakura body. Her hair went pass her shoulders as her dull green eyes stared into the darkness.

Throwing a bundle of clothes that appeared to be her old battle garment into the dark room, she parted her lips slightly in order to make her voice audible.

"I'm home."

* * *

[**Scarlet **

_**haruka na hoshizora ni yume wa mada miemasu ka?  
osanai ano hi yori azayaka desu ka? **_

_**mune ni afurete tsunoru omoi  
nemuri wasurete jounetsu no iro**_

_**tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta  
ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru **_

_**GARASU no bara yori mo hakanakute moroi no ni  
yume miru koto wa naze sadame na no deshou **_

_**futatsu no yume ga ai ni natte  
ai ni narenai koto mo atte**_

_**hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii  
kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni naru**_

_**hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii  
kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni...**_

_**tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta  
ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru**_

_[Can you still see your dreams in the distant, starry sky?  
Are they more vivid than they were when you were little?_

_When one forgets to put the emotions that overflow in her heart  
to rest, they burn the color of passion. _

_I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were.  
But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart. _

_Dreams are more fragile and fleeting than a glass rose,  
so then why are we destined to dream? _

_Sometimes two dreams can turn into love,  
but there are also times when they can't. _

_Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard.  
Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife. _

_Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard.  
Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife._

_I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were.  
But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart._

* * *

_**Chapter 5: Nothing Changed**_

Tsunade opened the yellow folder and took out the files. Her cat-like eyes narrowed as she scanned through it. _'So, the kid needed a cure to stop his uncontrollable urges to kill, huh?'_

Sighing deeply, Tsunade popped back against her chair. _'This is too much for me. It looks like I have another assignment for Sakura.'_

"Shizune," the Hokage said to her assistant. "Send this file to Sakura, and tell her I'm placing that Juugo kid in her hands."

Shizune paused and carefully selected her words before replying, "Are you sure about this Tsunade-sama? Sakura-san still has a week of prohibition from missions…"

"Just think of this more as an assignment then," the slug princess waved off her assistant's concern with a disregarding gesture. "I'm sure Sakura will handle it fine. Now sent her all the information she will need."

* * *

Sasuke stood on the roof of the apartment building, his raven hair was blowing freely in the direction of the afternoon wind. The sun was setting and the sky was an artful mixture of red and orange. 

His raven eyes narrowed when he remembered what happened in the earlier part of the day.

_" …welcome back."_

A disgusted scowl appeared on Sasuke's handsome face as he continued gazing into the distance. For him, there was nothing welcoming about this pathetic village.

Suigetsu on the other hand had found the tension quite amusing, which annoyed Sasuke even more. Juugo was passive as usual, since it didn't really concern him. Karin on the other hand was feverishly studying Sakura, trying to figure out her "true motives". That girl had got it in her head that Sakura was out to get "_her_ Sasuke-sama". This made the pink haired girl feel highly amused.

Speaking of Sakura, after the meal, she told the group to not leave the apartment, because it will take time for her to get familiar with each of their chakra signals. She then wordlessly disappeared into the study room, and been there since.

This leaves us an extremely annoyed Uchiha Sasuke. His plan was to start gathering information regarding Itachi the moment he sets foot back in Konohagakure. He didn't expect this to happen; to be stuck with his old acquaintance. Nothing was progressing at the moment and he was _not_ pleased.

Turning around, with one hand gripping the metal railing on the building's roof Sasuke jumped over it and back through the opened windows of Sakura's apartment.

The scene in front of him did not make him feel any better. Juugo was slumped against wall, in a semi-awake sleep, Karin was raiding Sakura's fridge, and Suigetsu was resting lazily on the couch, watching TV and sipping his water bottle.

It irritated Sasuke to no end seeing that his teammate was not as annoyed as he was about this turn of event.

All of a sudden, Juugo started to shake uncontrollably as dark marking started to creep up from his neck.

_'Great, something more annoying…'_

* * *

The eighteen-years-old genius sat patiently on the futon, staring respectfully at the head of the Hyuuga clan in front of him. The meeting hall was large and intimidating, indicating that anything that is taking place in here must be important. 

"Neji," Hiashi's voice was stressed and demanding, "Hanabi had been kidnapped during her last mission in the Country of Lightening."

Neji's fists clutched.

"I will file this request to Hokage-sama… I want you and other best forces in Konoha to retrieve Hanabi. Failure will not be tolerated."

Neji's pale eyes was expressionless and unreadable.

"Understood."

* * *

Haruno Sakura was slumped against the chair in her study. Her fingers were tapping impatiently against on the wooden table as she stared annoyingly at the flashing computer screen on her desk. 

_'Shishou won't give me a mission, but she'll coax me in my studies for the week? So very considerate…'_

The last part of kunoichi's thought was marked with heavy sarcasm.

Her white sleeves extended slightly and revealed some skin as Sakura reached to ruffle her hair, accompanied by an irritated sigh. After Sakura went into the office she changed her clothes into a red tank top and black pants before putting her white lab coat on.

She was a fool to think that Tsunade would have given her a mission before the three-week ban was completed. Well, a girl can still dream.

It is still very frustrating that Tsunde-sama would give her such worthless tasks. The brats had no manners at all. After lunch Sakura had to _ask_ them not to wear shoes in her apartment! They were already filthy as they were, it'll be nice if they don't spread it around her house.

Suddenly, Sakura felt a nudge of chakra from the Juugo kid.

Narrowing her eyes, Sakura rapidly got up from her seat and slammed the door open.

As Sakura was about to step out of the room, she felt the shocking impact ran through her body, much like it did earlier part of the day. Even though she was better prepared it this time, all she managed to do was grip onto the brass doorknob to prevent her from completely collapsing onto the ground.

Gasping for breath, Sakura looked up. Just then, her gaze met the Sasuke's in front of her, as he and Suigetsu tried to restrain Juugo from his rampage.

Uchihas are good observers, and none of the Harunos were dumb.

Sakura cursed herself for letting her guard down. Now someone else will know that the chakra binding seal hurts her more than it does anyone else.

Not wanting to be seen in such vulnerable state for another second, Sakura started to perform a series of complicated had seals at an alarmingly fast speed.

"_KA!_" Sakura cried out. A bead of sweat slipped down her cheek, as her mouth struggled to gobble down more air.

Juugo stooped in his tracks. His pupils were tiny, as his eyeballs rolled in all directions inside the socket. The markings on his skin started to crawl away and disappear.

However, unlike the other times where he will become calmed as soon as his markings goes away, Juugo continued to struggle in Suigetsu's and Sasuke's grasps.

"Dude," cried a confused Suigetsu who was pissed that he was kicked in the shin when he let go of Juugo a second earlier, thinking that it was safe. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Calm down dammit!"

"It's not his fault," Sakura said between each breath as she clutched her stomach with her left hand and struggled to walk over. "I cut off his chakra circulation completely. Without chakra the curse seal, or whatever you want to call it, can't continue to work. However, because this was done so suddenly, his killing urges isn't able to leave him so soon. Usually his curse seal and his killing urges corresponds together, so this wasn't a problem."

Looking up at Suigetsu and Sasuke Sakura then asked, "Can you please hold him down and open his mouth?"

Nodding, Suigetsu pried Juugo's mouth open as Sasuke forced him on his knees and secured his arms behind him.

Reaching inside her lab coat, Sakura took out a small glass bottle and shook out a blue oval shaped pill. Using brute force, she trusted the pill down Juugo's throat.

Within seconds, Juugo stopped struggling and stared up at Sakura with disbelief.

"Ah, aren't we lucky," Sakura sighed, "I wasn't sure if that was going to work."

There was an awkward silence before Karin approached Sakura. "The pill you gave him, could it be Konoha's legendary…"

Sakura's expression shifted slightly, something only Sasuke seemed to caught.

"… wait that's not right. That pill should only work on illnesses and poison… so what is it you gave him?"

"Nothing really," Sakura said unconcernedly, "Just some calming down pills I suppose."

Karin's eyes narrowed, "That is impossible, I do not know of any medicine that have such potent effects. And I doubt Juugo's condition is in the same category as your typical nervous breakdowns."

Sakura raised a thin eyebrow, this girl is quite knowledgeable huh? "You probably don't know of this kind of medicine because I am the one that invent it. And this one is not released to the public."

Karin frowned. Lord, the bitch is hard to please. "Why were you carrying such a thing around?"

Sighing, Sakura got up and patted her lower back before replying, "Because it was made exclusively for my own use."

* * *

Tsunade rubbed her temples with both of her hands. The day is just getting more and more complicated. And Shizune is not here to suffer her pain because she was off preparing for the Hebi group's paperwork. Glancing up, she stared tensely at the young Hyuuga. 

"Neji, are you aware of your request? Do you know that this means I have to take back the decree I already placed? Haruno Sakura is not allowed any mission for another week."

"I am well aware of this Hokage-sama," replied the calm ANBU captain. "However, desperate times calls for desperate measures. Hanabi-sama is the upcoming Head of the Hyuuga clan. The Byakugan is a trump card of the village, and the future head's safety should be top priority."

Covering her eyes as the a scowl dominated her face Tsunade said under her breath, "I need time to consider this. Tell Hiashi I will give my reply tomorrow morning. Why must he especially request for Sakura? There are many other talented Ninja available right now."

"I do not know either, Hokage-sama… '_But I have my suspicions'_… However, there is no other Ninja as talented as Sakura-san is there?"

The Godaime's lips twitched slightly before pressing into a thin line.

Seeing the Hokage's distress, Neji tried his best to reassure her, "If Sakura-san is allowed to go on this mission, then I will do everything in my power to assure that the event from last mission will no occur again. I would make sure Sakura-san always carries her pill with her… even though…"

Tsunade raised her head, "Yes…?"

Neji's jaws tightened, "The "rampage", or so to speak, that Sakura-san went on two weeks seemed to be… _different_ from the normal ones."

Tsunade's golden eyes narrowed, "How so? Beside that the killing were much more crueller."

The Hyuuga prodigy frowned as he chose his words carefully, "She seemed to be conscious of her actions…"

Tsunade's eyes widened before she forced them shut again. "You may go now."

Bowing, Neji retreated out of the office, wondering if he said too much.

Her back was hunched as the once mighty Sannin covered her eyes to stop the tears from coming out. She's losing so much of her loved ones… first Jiraiya, and now Sakura…

No… she lost Sakura a long time ago when she send her to that godforsaken mission…

If only she hadn't send her… then everything would be different… if only…

_"What?" The Godaime turned back her head to see her pupil staring up at her with a pair of burning green eyes._

_"Let me go on this mission please Tsunade-sama!" Sakura exclaimed with unbreakable determination in her voice._

_"No," Tsunade replied shaking her head, "This mission is too dangerous. There's no guarantee at all there will be any clues found regarding Sasuke's whereabouts."_

_"But it's connected to Orochimaru and Kabuto isn't it? Even if there is only a slim possibility, we won't known until we tried!"_

_Tsunade shook her head in frustration, "We all know that Sasuke severed bond with them long time ago. And Orochimaru is dead, what lead can you possibly get by going to investigate one of his abandoned lavatories in the grass country?"_

_"But we can't give up!"_

_The Hokage finally lost her temper and let out a fierce cry, "Sakura! Stop this nonsense right now!_

_"… I don't want to lose anymore of my precious people…"_

_Both female's gaze softened as they gazed away, embarrassed._

_"I'm sorry," whispered Sakura, "But I'm sure Jiraiya-sama would have said the same thing. Don't give up even at the last second! It is only because of this that he…" Her voice trailed off._

_Tsunade's expression was blank, she then spoke, "You're staying around Naruto too much, and it's not a good thing trying to learn too much off that old pervert."_

_Sakura's eyes lowered._

_"But I'll let you go on the mission, but only if you agree not to linger that the laboratory longer than you need to in order to complete the mission."_

_Sakura's eyes lit up as she beamed brightly at her teacher, "Yes, Tsunade-sama!"_

That was the last time Tsunade saw her student smile like that.

* * *

Villagers backed away as soon as they saw the group coming. Sakura in front with Sasuke, Suigetsu and Karin in the middle, and Juugo trailing behind. 

"Hehh, we're not very liked around here huh?" Suigetsu grinned as he stared down at random strangers on the street.

Sakura mentally sighed. The Hebi arrived this morning and by nightfall, they're existence already spread around the village like wildfire. It might have been a bad idea to take them out for dinner.

_'But then again, I really don't want to cook…'_

Walking through the blue flaps of a snack bar, the group seated themselves at an empty table. A few apprehensive villagers at a near by table out up immediately and left.

The brave owner of the restaurant went up to Sakura and cleared his throat, "Miss, you're-"

"-the one that's paying for everything, yes. So make sure you sent the bill to me please," Sakura added the last part with a sweet smile and flashing green eyes that chilled the poor man to the bone.

"O-o-o-o-o-of c-c-course!" The man stuttered. You can only see the white of his eyes with no pupil. "I'll sent someone to take your order right away!" He retreated by running backwards, away from the "innocent" pink haired girl in front of him.

"Wow," sniggered Suigetsu, "You're not very welcomed around these parks either huh?"

"Hmm…" smiled Sakura pleasantly.

A moment later, a less than amused server boy appeared. He did not bother to hide his scowl as he rudely took down their order.

Suigetsu frowned as the boy started to walk away. If there weren't so many witnesses, he'll teach this punk a lesson or two. His frown soon turned to a smirk when he heard what Sakura said to the kid.

"If you even attempt to spit in our food, there'll be more things poisoned around here than your kitchen rats." Her words lacked all the aggression a normal threat would possess, but the message thank through perfectly.

With beads of sweat forming above his brows, the server boy quickly ran off without a look back.

"How did you know he was going to spit in our food?" Karin asked, peering unconcern at Sakura.

"Ah, just a hunch," replied Sakura as she recalled the time when she found a dead rat in her miso soup. The owner of the restaurant pushed away any claim of ordeal, but that didn't stop her from trashing the place. But she can't have such a hassle now, not with that one week probation still on her head.

Sakura looked up, and once again, she met the gaze of the young Uchiha. She grew annoyed when he refused to advert his gaze. What did the guy want from her? It already annoyed her greatly when he caught her in one of her most vulnerable moment… twice. And it's unsettling that he found out one of her weaknesses so early.

Sakura shook her head. Everything he acquired off her was just a bunch of fluke; a misconception on her part. She will no longer be this careless in the future.

The emerald eye kunoichi continued to gaze at the Uchiha, not wanting to be the one to back off from their little staring match.

A small gasp from behind them and their game ended in a tie as they both turned towards the entrance.

* * *

Ino was not in the mood for anything fun. However, Choji and Shikamaru just had to drag her out for dinner. Shikamaru, because he wanted to apologize for his attitude earlier and erase this troublesome tension between them. Choji, because he wanted the food. 

The three of them made their way to the snack bar around the corner on Konoha's busy street.

As soon as Ino lifted the flaps at the entrance, her eyes fell onto childhood friend. A small gasp escaped her throat, but it was still loud enough for Sakura and the other to turn their heads towards her.

A soft flute music was playing in background at the restaurant as Ino tried to open her mouth, but nothing more than a weird sound came out.

Sakura turned her attention away.

Ino eyes widened before she forcefully closed them. Her fist clutched hard onto the helm of her black turtleneck tank top. Shame swept through her body like poison.

_'Please… just look at me. Don't turn away… please… I just need you to see me.'_

Fresh tears started to form at the corner of her eyes. Ino then felt a hand clamping forcefully on her shoulders. "She's not worth it Ino," declared Shikamaru, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

"You heard him," Sakura spoke without facing Ino. She suddenly took great interest at the lights hanging from the ceiling. "You shouldn't waste your feelings on someone like me, ne?" Sakrua smirked as she pushed a long pink lock of hair behind her ear.

Her eyes hidden in the shadow, Ino's lips began to tremble, "Sakura… you're too cruel…" _'… to yourself…'_

Abruptly turning around, Ino ran off, her long blonde hair swaying behind her.

"Ino!" Choji cried out before chasing after his friend.

Shikamaru stayed just long enough to glare coldly at Sakura and say, "You could at least try to act more like a human being… but I guess you can only function with people your kind." He looked around impassively at the Hebi group before walking away as well.

"What the hell does that mean?!" Demanded Karin, slamming both palms on the table and shooting up. Sasuke glared at her, and she sank back timidly.

Sakura's face was expressionless as she picked on up a plain origini and bit into it.

* * *

"Ah," smiled Sakura, "I'm so sorry. I think I ordered too much sake." 

"It's nothing," replied Juugo carrying a drunken Suigetsu on one shoulder and Karin on another. "I didn't get to properly thank you for the pill earlier either, so thank you."

"Don't mention it. I'm aware of your condition and I'll do my best to help you."

"I appreciate your help."

Sasuke paused in front and turned back at the two trailing behind, "Can we hurry up? It's getting cold."

"Of-" Sakura stopped in mid sentence and turned to her left-hand-side.

They reached the old Konoha academy.

She could see the familiar swing and bench somewhere in the distance.

"Why is this place so run-down?" Sasuke asked. His eyes were blank, in lack of any emotions.

"A year ago, our village received a lot of extra income. We were able to build a nicer school a block away. So naturally this one was abandoned."

"Why? It was fine the way it was. A new school was not needed," Sasuke said, staring at the dark building that was once so familiar to him.

Sakura raised her head at the sky; her hair blew in all directions as the evening wind becomes more powerful. "People change over time, so surroundings should change too."

Sasuke glanced at the girl in font of him. "Do you feel remorse, Sasuke-san?" She asked, "Do you miss it?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "We're back on first name bases?"

"Hahaha," Sakura laughed, "Not really, it's just that this place brings back a lot of memory. We used to be friends right? It feels weird being so formal here. For the sake of this place we can pretend that nothing changed…"

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A/N: -sighs- I really wanted to get to the thing about the "secret door", but if I go on it'll lead to a consecutive chain of events that will take too long. This is the best part to cut, so I'll be leaving the rest to the next chapter. (Which I hope won't take too long to write…) -panics-

Oh, right, regarding the "New Fanfic", I'm working on that too. It'll probably be out before the next chapter though. :3

_::Remember to please review!!:: _(I need motivations... /pif) XD

_Lidiya_

Now that I think about it... I probably can post the first chapter of Emerald Slipper tomorrow... -is in full typing mode- Ganbade neee!! (And I think I spelled this wrongggggg...)

* * *

This used to be an entry for chapter 6, but I felt weird about it so I moved it here...

I know this is gay... but I **HAVE **to share this:

_**(SPOILER WARNING)**_

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The last panel of the newest chapter in Naruto (384)

**Sasuke says to Itachi as he stabbed the katana through his back**: I said this is the end you muderous, traitorous FUCKER. Before I kill you, I have one last question...

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I am tempted to finish his question for him: "So... how _**do **_you restore the clan?" XDDDDD

(my apologize if this is very lame... I just couldn't help myself XDDDDDD)

Oh, and also, Sasu-chan is being a **FUCKING **_**HYPOCRITE**_-points at the word "_traitorous_" and start coughing loudly-

_Lidiya _(in the meanwhile is being gay)


	6. Confusion

A/N: Thanks for all the review!!!

Hmm… interesting… I can't think of anything else to b.s. about… Meh, I'll probably think of something by the end of this chapter. xD

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"…For the sake of this place we can pretend that nothing changed…"

* * *

[**Scarlet **

_**haruka na hoshizora ni yume wa mada miemasu ka?  
osanai ano hi yori azayaka desu ka? **_

_**mune ni afurete tsunoru omoi  
nemuri wasurete jounetsu no iro**_

_**tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta  
ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru **_

_**GARASU no bara yori mo hakanakute moroi no ni  
yume miru koto wa naze sadame na no deshou **_

_**futatsu no yume ga ai ni natte  
ai ni narenai koto mo atte**_

_**hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii  
kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni naru**_

_**hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii  
kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni...**_

_**tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta  
ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru**_

_[Can you still see your dreams in the distant, starry sky?  
Are they more vivid than they were when you were little?_

_When one forgets to put the emotions that overflow in her heart  
to rest, they burn the color of passion. _

_I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were.  
But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart. _

_Dreams are more fragile and fleeting than a glass rose,  
so then why are we destined to dream? _

_Sometimes two dreams can turn into love,  
but there are also times when they can't. _

_Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard.  
Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife. _

_Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard.  
Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife._

_I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were.  
But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart._

* * *

_**Chapter 6: Confusion**_

Misty clouds covered the old vacant training field… its arms snaked around the trees… its body smothered the ground… its cool breath blew into the air.

_'Where am I?' _Sakura's eyes were blank… she peered at her hands… '_What are these?' _An image of bloodstained hands appeared in a flash and disappeared just as quickly.

She blinked… and glanced at the surrounding… this place is familiar… right?

In a trancelike mode, Sakura walked deeper into the mist. She reached the three wooden poles…

A feeling of joy and excitement? Nah, that's impossible.

She continued walking, passed through the poles that dissolved behind her and found herself on a huge but unfinished bridge.

Again with the feelings of significance… but she couldn't pinpoint anything.

Something told her to look down… and she did.

Why did she get the feeling that someone is suppose to be lying here? Someone was lying here a minute ago… right?

The aching pain in her chest… followed by a stream relieved…

Tearing her gaze from the pavement, Sakura continued the journey with no destination.

She walked off the unfinished bridge… but her body was light and the impact with the water was gentle… like diving into wet rain cloud… Why did she think that…? She had never done that before, so how would she know what it feels like…?

A red forest.

Giant trees with bumpy roots… plants were everywhere… a dim shadow…

Did that belong to the forest?

Fear. Desperation. And that other thing she had no words for…

The shadow started to expand…over the trees…over the plants…over her own eyes.

She opened her eyes again and stared blankly at the sky… a full moon… so full… so content…

_'Who is that?'_

A young girl stood beside a bench… in the middle of the road… looking so lonely and gazing at… something.

Why doesn't she just go after him? Go after whom?

There was no one there… but it felt… important?

Sakura approached her… she walked around her… in front… behind… and one the sides….

That's weird… no matter where she moves to, she could only see the young girl's back.

Always staring at their backs.

This isn't right… Sakura reached for the girl's shoulders…

"No… you must not go that pass… only pain waits at the end …." Who's voice was this… hers? Why did it sound so old… and cold?

The voice echoed upon itself… each sentence, each phrase, each word, each syllables was woven upon the previous, like a gigantic spider web with multiple layers… echoing one forever.

Everything is connected. You are who you are at the very moment is because of each of the passing moments that you already spend.

Sakura frowned as she slowly shook her head from side to side. This is ridiculous; why must she analyze… why must she see logic… why can't she go with her natural feelings?

Her hand clamps onto the girl's hunched shoulder.

_**Flashes of images ran through her head like a flashing cinema screen.**_

**Chaos. Blood. Suffering. Anger. Pain. Hate. Liquid. Loathing. Disgust. Sorrow. Anguish. Hurt. **

_**And so much other things without words…**_

_'Why did these things happen?' _

_'When did I become like that…?'_

Sakura woke up.

No that was not the question… it's… "How could I be anything _but_ this?"

* * *

The crescent moon shined brightly in the sky… illuminating the Leaf Village with its soft by radiant colours. 

Sakura's apartment was dark. Her room was darker.

Peering around her room, she recalled what happened. Right… Suigetsu and Karin got drunk so they had to carry them back. And not just that, they had taken over Sakura's bed, leaving Sakura to sleep on the armchair beside the bed stand and the tall floor lamp. Well, at least it was better than having to sleep leaning against the wall like what Juugo and Sasuke was doing.

Sakura let out a low sigh and pulled away the blanket on her lap… the blanket that wasn't there when she fell asleep.

Sakura signed, this isn't good. To have someone put something on her and not wake her up; the sealing had taken more toll on her than she expected.

Gentling opening the door, Sakura glanced back before walking out. Sasuke and Juugo were still sleeping against the wall opposite of her bed…

Except Sasuke wasn't asleep.

Sakura stood outside the door. It loomed her like a dark menace. Then why did she feel the need to open it?

_'Maybe I'm still asleep…' _Silently laughing at herself, Sakura reached for the doorknob and turned it.

Walking in, Sakura wandered around much like the way she wandered through her dream… under a trance. She should have seen this coming.

As she said before to Suigetsu, this door led to the other apartment beside hers. Even though it was not refurbished, it was still easy to tell that it was the mirror image of Sakura's condominium. And despite that, it was not available for human habitation, it was awfully full.

Large boxes of different sizes piled together; some were nicely sealed, some were not, and there was one that was falling apart because of the pressure; its contents were threatening to spill out. Old furniture and miscellaneous were scattered all over the place in no specific order. It almost seemed like somebody will move in soon…

Except everything had a thick layer of dust on them.

"What are you doing up?" A voice asked behind her.

Sasuke was leaning against the doorframe; his toned chest was exposed in the dark as he crossed his arms together.

Ignored.

Sakura continued searching aimlessly for something… and she finally found it: the picture of team seven. It was placed carelessly on the windowsill by the kitchen. Wiping the dust from the glass, Sakura stared perplexedly at the picture… she was _feeling_ things... things that seemed familiar… but at the same time foreign.

"Sakura…"

Green eyes shot up. Turning around, Sakura saw him standing right behind her.

"You didn't answer my question."

Her eyes narrowed. Why is this happening? She could feel herself disappearing, as if all her senses were deemed useless. It must have been the seal, it _had_ to be.

Pasting a smile on her face, Sakura asked, "Yes Sasuke-kun?"

Huh?

Sasuke frowned slightly, "Are you playing a mind game with me? What is with the sudden informality?"

Sakura blinked. Why did she say that? But it seemed… _right_.

Mentally shaking her head, Sakura stuck the picture under Sasuke's nose. "Isn't this the way things were suppose to be? Me following you… walking in your shadow… admiring your back?"

Sasuke stared coldly at her, "What are you talking about?"

She felt like crying and didn't understand why. His question was simple… it shouldn't have any power over her. No, it wasn't the question; it was the look in his eyes… but why should that matter as well?

Sakura could feel her head splitting into two. It MUST be the stupid seal. It must have caused some psychological effects on her brain wave or something. She was a fool to think that there would only be physical side effects. This Jutsu must be perfected. Maybe she could lessen the power in the jutsu for the user so that it could cushion these annoying side effects… wait, if she does that then the seal will not be as useful… especially when she wanted absolute control so-

"Where are your parents?"

The pink haired girl's small frame immediately tensed at his words. Meeting him in the eyes, she forced herself to ask, "Why do you ask something so random?"

Sasuke shifted his head slightly to one side, indicating an item in the room. It was a filled clothing rack.

"Those don't belong to you… do they?"

Sakura was silent.

The crescent moon shined eerily through the window as a few dark leaves flew by.

"They're dead."

Clouds started to move across the moon and wind banged against the window.

Both their faces were hidden in the dark.

"How…?" He asked.

The clouds moved passed the moon and light once again shined into the building, aluminising Sakura's heart shaped face. The eeriness complemented the beautiful smile on her face.

"I killed them."

It was his time to be silent; after all, what _could_ he say?

"You know," said Sakura, turning around, her back facing him as she stared out of the window, "I never did appreciate them and the things they did for me. I always took that for granted."

Her voice was cheerily happy as she continued, "You know that time when you came looking for Naruto, which by the way, he confessed a while ago that he was disguising to be you to hit on me. Anyways, do you remember the awful thing I said about him? I said that he was a spoiled brat because he had no parents to scold him. Then you said something about the feeling of loneliness far succeeds the pain of your parents yell at you…

"Yah… I really was… _extremely_… annoying… But I did learn it through the hard way…"

Twirling around, Sakura flashed Sasuke a victory sign and smile, "First hand experience of being parentless: Haruno Sakura!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, he was restless… he could feel his inside slithering around like snakes.

"Why did you kill them?"

Her eyes were innocently large as she placed a finger to her lips and tilted her head slightly, "I'm not sure if there was a reason?"

Sasuke's frown grew deeper as his jaws clutched tightly together. What was going on here? Nothing made sense? Could this really be Sakura? And why does he care? Could it be that freakishly familiar vibe that he was receiving?

"Do you regret what you did?" He asked. There must be a reason to why she was acting this way.

"Nope."

Sasuke's eyes widened and his inhaling of breath was slightly sharper than before. "You're just like Itachi."

Pink bangs covered her eyes. Sasuke continued without stopping, "I don't know what you did… but now you feel guilty and wants someone to punish you for your crimes."

Emerald eyes flared up and her body started to shake uncontrollably s she hissed out like a wild animal, _"You know __**nothing**__ about me…!"_

Closing his eyes, Sasuke turned around and walked away. Despite whatever the hell happened, he hit the bull's eye.

The stopping in his tracks, he turned his head back, but just enough so he could see her from the corner of his eyes.

"Of all people, I never thought you would change this much…"

_'…because you were one of the only things that kept me alive all these years…'_

Actual tears were coming out of her eyes now as she started screaming, "How _dare_ you judge me?! Do you think that you're the only one that had the _right_ to **change**?!"

Flashing red eyes started icily at her, "I don't know what ideal image you had of me before… but know this Sakura… I _never_ changed… you were just too blind to see it. I used to think that you were smarter than Naruto but apparently I was mistaken."

Walking out of the grim apartment, Sasuke slammed the door shut, leaving a tear faced girl alone behind him…

* * *

Sakura woke up. 

Sitting up, she felt the sofa's leathery feel under her fingers and the uncomfortable texture of the clothes she didn't bother to change out of.

"That was a weird dream…" if would be nice if she could say that.

Why did she act so outrageous last night? She lost control… Sakura wanted to hit herself; she couldn't _afford_ to lose control… not again.

Luckily, her depressing thoughts were disturbed by two loud screams coming from her room. Sakura could hear Karin's loud shrieking and Suigetsu's yelling, which got louder when she opened the door to her room.

"… WHY THE HELL ARE YOU IN MY BED!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!?!?!?" (Karin.)

"FUCK YOU WHORE, LIKE I WANT TO DO ANYTHING WITH A HAG LIKE YOU!!! AND FOR YOUR INFORMATION, THIS ISN'T YOUR BED!!!" (Suigetsu.)

"DON'T GIE ME THIS SHIT!!! I KNOW YOU MEN ARE ALL THE SAME!!! Except for Sasuke-kun of course. THERE'S NO WAY THAT A _**STRAIGHT**_ MAN WOULD PASS THE CHANCE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AN APPEALING WOMAN LIKE ME!!!!" (Karin.)

Sakura twitched… her messy pink hair was sticking out all over the place.

"Shut-up you two." (Sasuke.)

"Of course Sasuke-kun!" Karin said right away with a large smile as she battered her eyes to him… heart bubbles were filling up the room.

Sakura felt sick… and she wasn't the only one. Suigetsu was mimicking Karin behind her back and Juugo had his face inside his hand.

Suddenly, Sakura saw three shadows decent onto the balcony. Walking over, she flung the door open, "There are better ways to greet a person."

"My apologies," the ANBU replied, the other two gave a similar nod, "But this is an emergency."

"So I figured; you guys don't usually act as messengers."

"Hokage-sama requests your immediate presence. And she gave specific order to bring along the traitor Uchiha and his followers."

Everyone in the room tensed.

* * *

Sakura was silent as Tsunade explained their mission to retrieve Hanabi. She understood the seriousness in the situation… the fact that she was getting let off earlier than her sentence (No mission for three weeks) only enhanced it. 

"You're shitting me old hag," Suigetsu spat, "You want us to go on a retrieval mission? What are we? Your lapdogs?"

Tsunade felt her veins threatening to explode… and just when she thought she wouldn't have to deal with them for a long while…

"Actually, that's exactly what ninjas are… the village's lapdogs," Karin replied.

"No one asked you four-eye."

"What did you-!"

"SILENCE!"

Her authority was impressive.

"Now I will assign an ANBU group-"

"That will not be necessary."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed, "Very well Uchiha, if you think that you can handle this. However I shall still assign other member for the retrieval group." She flipped through the Jounin profiles in her.

"They will be…"

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A/N: Yup, some confusion (that's the title for this chappie!) here and things that wasn't straighten out… which is why you should continue reading on! 83

In the meantime, **_Please review!!! _**Your opinions are important to us. 8D (I forgot where I stole that from... It's probably from one of those corny commercials...)

_Lidiya_

Oh right, after you review, check out my poll!!!! Love you a bunch!!!

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Jan. 28, 2008 - I died a little bit inside after reading the newest Naruto manga, Ch. 386... please visit my forum and vent with me.


	7. Passion

A/N: Thank you for all of your review!! x3

Hahaha…. My snail-like updating skills never fails to impress anyone. XD

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Tsunade's eyes narrowed, "Very well Uchiha, if you think that you can handle this. However I shall still assign other member for the retrieval group." She flipped through the Jounin profiles in her.

"They will be…"

* * *

**Scarlet **

_**haruka na hoshizora ni yume wa mada miemasu ka?  
osanai ano hi yori azayaka desu ka? **_

_**mune ni afurete tsunoru omoi  
nemuri wasurete jounetsu no iro**_

_**tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta  
ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru **_

_**GARASU no bara yori mo hakanakute moroi no ni  
yume miru koto wa naze sadame na no deshou **_

_**futatsu no yume ga ai ni natte  
ai ni narenai koto mo atte**_

_**hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii  
kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni naru**_

_**hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii  
kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni...**_

_**tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta  
ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru**_

_Can you still see your dreams in the distant, starry sky?  
Are they more vivid than they were when you were little?_

_When one forgets to put the emotions that overflow in her heart  
to rest, they burn the color of passion. _

_I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were.  
But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart. _

_Dreams are more fragile and fleeting than a glass rose,  
so then why are we destined to dream? _

_Sometimes two dreams can turn into love,  
but there are also times when they can't. _

_Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard.  
Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife. _

_Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard.  
Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife._

_I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were.  
But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart._

* * *

_**Chapter 1: Passion **_

Sakura mentally sighed as the people Tsunade selected entered the office. She didn't need to tell who was going to be on this mission with them. Her choices were quite obvious; the elite of the elite must handle the assignment and that would be… Naruto, Sai, Neji, Lee, Tenten, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Kiba, Shino, and herself in addition with the Hebi team.

The group gathered in Tsunade's office. As soon as they spotted Sakura and Hebi team the atmosphere became extremely suffocating. Rubbing her temples, Tsunade explained their mission again and told Neji to handle the rest.

It was then that Kiba unexpectedly broke out in rage, "I don't get why the hell we have to work with them!" He pointed his finger at Sakura and Sasuke's direction. Akamaru barked with him.

The room was dead silent, this only caused Kiba to get even more frustrated, "Why isn't anyone saying anything?! You're all _thinking_ about it!!"

Suigetsu raised a slim eyebrow, "Just what the fuck is this hooligan talking about?"

"Shut-up, fish boy!" Kiba yelled, Akamaru barked with him.

"Make me, mutt!" Suigetsu sneered back.

"Silence!" Tsunade yelled, "I knew you will not get along with Sasuke and his new team… due to past experiences, but I didn't expect a fight to broke out so soon-"

"It's not just the new team…"

Everyone turned towards Shikamaru who was leaning against the wall beside the door of the office.

Sakura's eyes shifted slightly. Ino watched anxiously at her best fried, or ex-best friend. She didn't know which… Sakura never told her.

"Shikamaru," Tsunade hoarse dangerously, "What are you talking about?"

Not giving anyone a chance to answer, Sakura interrupted rudely, "Nara-san was talking about me, wasn't he?"

"Ahh, Sakura-chan," Naruto said rather pathetically, "There's no way that he could be-"

"Damn right we are!" Kiba shouted, Akamaru barked ferociously at Sakura, "You ruined Hinata's life you evil-"

"Kiba shut-up! You're too loud!" Naruto yelled.

"Look who's talking!" Kiba screamed back, "Shino, back me up!"

Pushing up his dark glasses, Shino responded, "It's pointless to get into this kind of discussions."

"True," said Shikamaru, "Words tend to fail in the ears of this woman." He glared at Sakura.

"Shikamaru!" Ino yelled.

"It's funny," Sai smiled, "How people always like to put the blame on someone. I read in a book once. They do it so they won't have to feel guilty themselves."

The group soon broke out into a frenzy. Aggressive gestures were displayed and rude language were being thrown back and force.

"Enough!" Tsunade hollered. Raising her fist, the Godaime smashed her table in half.

The crowd quite down immediately.

"Now…" Tsunade raised her head, golden eyes flashed dangerously, "You can either obey your Hokage… or get the fuck out of my office."

Naruto gulped, he almost forgot how scary the old lady can be.

Sitting back onto her chair, Tsunade crossed her legs and spoke with great authority, "The assignment will be carried out in the normal group of threes. Because Kiba's group is missing a member…"

"Who do we have to thank for that?" Kiba muttered sarcastically, his dog growled with him. Tsunade narrowed her eyes at their direction and both of them immediately shut up.

"…so I will be assigning one of the members from Sasuke's team to theirs. Karin, you will be on their team for this mission."

"What?! Hell no!" Karin screeched, "Get Suigetsu to go!"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at her and she quite down as well, even though she was slightly reproachful .

"It can't be helped," The Sannin reasoned, "Both Sasuke and Suigetsu are needed to keep Juugo in check. Kiba's team is excellent at tracking. From my knowledge, you are very good yourself."

Karin's face lit up, "Well, I guess it can't be helped that I'm so important." The girl was way too easily flattered. "Fine, I guess I will go to their team. Is that okay with you, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Good," Tsunade said, "Since Neji is the captain, I expect all of you to obey his orders. This assignment should be given top importance. Sakura, the one week left from your probation will be made up when you get back. You all have an hour to get ready."

Just then, another nuisance came barging into the office, "Obaa-chan!!" yelled the young boy wearing a Chuunin vest.

"Konoha ninjas are all so loud," Karin complained.

"Then you'll be right at home," Suigetsu sniggered, earning him a whack which missed him.

Tsunade took a good look at the boy who was huffing madly. No doubt he was rushing very hard to get here .

"Is it true?! Hinabi-chan had been abducted?!" Konohamaru cried out.

"Yes," Tsunade sighed.

"Please let me go on this mission!"

"No," the Godaime said sternly, "This is a S mission. You're only a Chuunin; this is beyond what you can handle."

"But I can't sit here and do nothing!" Konohamaru protested.

"So you're doing _something_ for her by dieing?"

All eyes turned towards Sakura.

Emerald eyes were dull and expressionless, "You love her… don't you?"

Konohamaru faltered, "W-w-what are you talking about? Yah, we are g-going out… well, kinda. But, l-l-love?"

A small smirk appeared on Sakura's face, "Such sweetness, your passion amazes me."

The boy's small eyes narrowed madly when he realized that she was mocking him, "That's because you don't know what it feels like to be me!!"

In a split second, Sakura disappeared and reappeared in front of Konohamaru. A small flick on his forehead with her middle finger was all it took to sent him crashing into the wall. Scary.

Sakura stared passively at Konohamaru who was struggling and failing to get up from the ground. "Passion is important," She said, "It gives us fire; the will to continue and the will to succeed. But remembers this, it works for you. Do not become its slave. Do not let it blind you… ever.

Tsunade and Ino looked away painfully, knowing too well where this is all coming from.

An evil smirk appeared on Sakura's heart-shaped face, "If you still insist to go on this mission, I'll help kill you right now. You will die anyways, so this will safe us the trouble of having to carry your dead body all the way back to Konoha for burial."

Konohamaru gulped, she wasn't kidding.

Sakura's evil face then disappeared and she smiled sweetly, "Just kidding. But really, if you still can't control yourself, I'll have to give you an injury that'll help put you in the hospital for a couple of weeks."

Konohamaru gulped again. Now she really wasn't kidding.

Sensing the uncomfortable atmosphere, Naruto bugged in, "Hey, hey, don't worry Konohamaru, I promise to bring back Hinabi-chan."

Konohamaru turned around, "You promise?"

"A hero never lies," Naruto grinned, "Plus, I made this promise to Hinata-chan as well, so you know I will work twice as hard."

Konohamaru sniffed before rubbing his eyes, "Thank you Naruto-nii-chan."

"Gees, Konoha ninjas are so damn soft," Suigetsu rolled his eyes.

"That's why you will fit right in," Karin sneered, commenting on his ability to alter his body shape.

Suigetsu scowled.

"Now, that's settled… you're all dismissed," Tsunade said before pausing for a moment. "Neji, please stay back for a while."

The group looked uncomfortably at each other before filtering out of the office.

Once everyone was out of the office, Tsunade stared seriously at the Hyuuga prodigy. "I have a speculation that Hinabi's abduction is involved with the Akatsuki."

Neji's eyes widened slightly, "What makes you think that, Tsunade-sama?"

Golden eyes narrowed, "She was kidnapped in the Country of Lightening. It is a known fact that the Village of Clouds have allied themselves with the Akatsuki and the Village of Rain. They might be using the excuse to get the Byakugan eyes as a cover up for their true intend. … to lure Naruto to them. They must have learned how close he became to the Hyuuga family."

"I see…"

"This is all a hypothesis, of course. But it doesn't hurt to be careful. That is why I want you to keep an eye on the Uchiha boy. Don't let him do something that will jeopardize this mission, nor Naruto's life."

"I understand," Neji said, "I will not fail you again."

Tsunade's eyes softened, "I do not blame you for what happened to Sakura… please keep that in mind. You're free to go."

Bowing respectably, Neji left, leaving a worn-out Tsunade looking up at the sky.

ccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc

The Hebi team only just came back to Sakura's condo when Karin started to complain, "This is so gross! I've been in these shorts for an entire week!"

Sakura turned around, "You can use my room to change. I need to change as well, I'll sue the bathroom."

Following Sakura into her room, Karin watched as she disappeared behind her bathroom door before taking out a new pair of black shorts and changing into it.

It was then that she noticed it. Walking towards the dresser, Karin stared down at the belt with Sakura's pouch attached to it. She remembered how the pink haired bitch embarrassed her yesterday with her flashy scroll display.

Karin gently opened Sakura's pouch. Inside were the basic essentials, a couple of kunais, exploding tags, wires, a small bag of soldier pills and an ointment container. In the corner of the back was the small scroll where Sakura sealed _a lot _of things into.

Taking the scroll out and closing the pouch, Karin walked towards the balcony. Grinning madly, Karin mustered all her strength and threw Sakura's scroll off the balcony.

_'Let's see that bitch show off now.'_

* * *

Fully changed Sakura stared at her reflection in the mirror. What had gotten into her today? What made her she get so frustrated at the sight of flustered Konohamaru? No… it was not that. She did know what made her she feel the way she did… she just couldn't understand _why_ that was the case.

She glared at her reflection.

_The group were resting beside the camp fire when Sakura gestured Ino to come behind the tree with her._

_"Yes, forehead girl?"_

_"I just got news from the village, it seemed that there's _another_ base around here."_

_"Really? We must tell Neji and them."_

_"No, we can't!" Sakura protested._

_"Why?" Ino asked, slightly confused._

_"Because investigating another base is not our mission. You know Neji, he's so stoic and by-the-book. There's no way he'll let us investigate it. The most he'll do is mention this to Tsunade-sama and let her assign another mission."_

_"Well…" Ino started, "That's not _too_ bad…"_

_"No, it is _too _bad. That'll take at least another week ii we leave today and who knows if there will be anything to investigate by then."_

_"What do you mean?" Ino asked._

_"The enemy probably already became aware of our presence. They might be on the move right now for all we know. We have to investigate it right now, by ourselves."_

_"That's true…" Said Ino, "But we really shouldn't disobey orders."_

_"Argh!" Sakura groaned frustrated, "Ino-pig! Don't you want to get Sasuke-kun back?!"_

_"Yes, but-"_

_"Then we have to do everything that is necessary."_

_Ino sighed, "I guess you're right, but let's at least get Naruto to come with us. It might be too dangerous."_

_Sakura frowned, "We can't. Neji will get suspicious. Seriously, that guy is like a hawk."_

_Ino sighed again, "Fine, but let's be extra careful okay?"_

In the end, the two girls left to the investigate the site by themselves. They pretended they were just going shopping in the village and sneaked away.

Back then Sakura was still young and full of her disillusions. How she paid the price for it.

* * *

"I'll be going now, Hinata-sama."

"Take care, Neji-nii-san," Hinata said from her futon.

Neji got up and made his way to the door.

"Ah, wait," Hinata called from behind him.

"Yes?"

"Please," The dark haired maiden said softly, "Take care of Sakura-chan…"

Neji turned around, "I know."

* * *

Walking out of the bathroom, Sakura took her belt with her pouch and buckled them up.

Karin smiled, "What took you so long."

Sakura was silent as she left the room with a smirking Karin in her wake.

* * *

The group gathered in front of the gate.

"Where the hell is Naruto?" Kiba yelled, "Don't tell me he's late… **again**."

Sakura's eyes softened.

Half an hour passed before Naruto appeared in a small pop in front of them.

"You're late!" Kiba and Suigetsu yelled together. They were both men of little patience.

"Hahaha, sorry," Naruto grinned, "A little bid fell out of it's nest and I had to got help it get back into its nest."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Something happened, he knew. This was suppose to be Kakashi's line. What on earth would Naruto adopt it?

Most of the people in the group was thinking the same thing, _'And that took you half an hour?'_

Sakura's eyes softened. She gave Naruto a look which he returned with a big smile. "Okay, everyone, let's do this!"

"Stop acting like you're the leader!" Kiba yelled.

The Konoha gate opened and the group was off.

* * *

It was nightfall before they decided to rest for a while. A warm fire was burning in the middle of the lush forest as everyone started to set up their tents.

Sakura reached into her pouch. All her essentials and weapons were sealed in her small scroll, the small scroll that's not in her pouch. Her emerald eyes narrowed.

From the corner of her eyes, Sakura caught Karin smirking at her and knew exactly what had happened.

In the end, Naruto and Sai shared a tent. Neji and Lee shared one. Kiba and Shino shared one. Shikamaru and Choji shared one. Ino and Tenten shared one. Juugo and Suigetsu shared. Poor Sasuke was dragged into a tent by Karin.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto called, "Aren't you going to set up your tent. You're so luck, getting one all to yourself."

"Instead of sleeping with a dickless-wonder," Sai commented.

Naruto coughed madly, "That came out a bit wrong, Sai."

"Huh?"

Sakura raised her head to the sky. "I feel like sleeping outside today. The moon is bright tonight."

Naruto raised his head at the crescent moon as well, "Hey, you're right. Well, goodnight Sakura-chan."

"Night."

When Naruto and Sai disappeared into their tent, Sakura stared maliciously at the tent where Sasuke and Karin was sleeping in. The arrogant girl will pay for what she did.

And it won't even be Sakura's fault.

* * *

A/N: Reviews makes me happy and makes me write faster! SO, PLEASE REVIEW!! X3

Anyways, I said I was going to make a one-shot, a tribute to Sakura's B-day… But that will have to wait until tomorrow. It's my birthday today! We're going to the carnival. XD I'll look bad if I'm late…

PLEASE REVIEW!!

Eidit: I did a fanart in deviantart for the next chapter if you're interested. D

The site is on my profile.


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